Ignited Minds Unleashing The Power Within India

Ignited Minds

Unleashing the Power
Within India

A. P.J. ABDUL KALAM

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Penguin Books India (P) Ltd , 1 1 Community C entre,

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First published in Viking by Penguin Books India 2002
Copyright O A P J Abdul Kaiam 2002
All rights reserved
10 987654 3 2

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above-men turned publisher of this book

I dedicate this book to a child who is
studying in class 12. Her name is Snehal
Thakkar. On 11 April 2002 when I reached
Anand by road in the evening , it was
under curfew following communal
disturbances. The next day r at the
Anandalaya High School , , while talking to
the students , a question came up: 1 Who is
our enemy?'

There were many answers ; but the one we
all agreed was correct came from her: 'Our
enemy is poverty/

It is the root cause of our problems and
should be the object of our fight , not our

own .

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements viii

Preface ix

1. The Dream and the Message 1

2. Give Us a Role Model 21

3. Visionary Teachers and Scientists 40

4. Learning from Saints and Seers 70

5. Patriotism beyond 100

Politics and Religion

6. The Knowledge Society 119

7. Getting the Forces Together 138

8. Building a New State 159

9. To My Countrymen 179

Epilogue 190

Song of Youth 196

References 197

Index 199

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I have listed some of the books that were
useful to me in the writing of this book. I
would like to mention three books whose
ideas I found specially relevant to my theme.
They were Chandra: A Biography of S.
Chandrasekhar by Kameshwar C. Wali,
Penguin Books; Empires of the Mind by Denis
Waitley, Nicholas Brealey Publishing; and
Manifest Your Destiny by Dr Wayne W. Dyer,
HarperCollins. Some of his ideas on
individual achievement I found useful in
addressing the theme of a nation’s awakening
to its potential. The other books that I
consulted are listed in the references.

PREFACE

^Nations consist of people. And. with their
effort a nation can accomplish all it could
ever want. Motivating India’s people, and its
youth especially, is the central theme of
Ignited Minds, which continues the trajectory
of thoughts taken up in my earlier two books.
Wings of Fire and India 2020: A Vision for the
New Millennium , written with my friends Arun
Tiwari and Y.S. Raj an. I have chosen to write
about this subject of igniting young minds
so that India turns into a developed nation
by the year 2020 because all through my
career in the field of technology and its
management, I relied on the power and
potential of youth. My strength has been my

x / Preface

young teams who never let me down. And
what satisfaction there was in working with
them on some of the most complex projects
in some of the most challenging situations!
Given the freedom to achieve and guided
properly, I am convinced the young of India
can accomplish far more.

As I began writing, I wondered if I was
not overreaching myself. I thought: Who am
I to write about this capacity of India to
realize its destiny as a developed nation?
What do I really know about how this can be
accomplished beyond what I have learned in
my projects and missions evolved around
science and technology? Isn’t this an area
that political leaders, economists, thinkers
and other competent people would address
better? How am I qualified to tell others
about an ability that has been generally
ignored?

At first as I was putting down my
experiences with youth, I had no idea of
what I would have to say. However, I put
aside my doubts and began to examine what
I hear from the people I meet during my

Preface / xi

visits to different places, particularly children,
saints and seers, teachers, scientists, industry
leaders and even political leaders. I am sure
on my part that India has the ability to
transform itself into a developed nation.
Through my projects in space, defence and
nuclear sectors, I know that our people have
the ability to achieve the best in the world.
They have a fantastic mix of belief and
knowledge that sets them apart from any
other nation on earth. I also know that their
potential has gone untapped because we
have become used to being subjugated and
docile. What better project can I undertake
than to tell my people that what they dream
of can become possible, that they can have
anything that comprises a good life: health,
education, the freedom to pursue their goals,
and above all, peace.

My quest for answers as to how this
could be done took me to schools, the
countryside, ashrams and many other places
which were not part of my itinerary earlier.
It was a new kind of experience, a very
stimulating one at that. The paddy fields in

xii / Preface

Bihar left to an ad-hoc cycle of agriculture,
the untapped mineral wealth of the newly
formed state of Jharkhand and the
unattended biodiversity of Tripura are
throwing a great challenge to the knowledge
era that is dawning. In Assam the sight of
the mighty Brahmaputra almost mesmerized
me. Its vast expanse of water filled me with
a strange sense of helplessness too — the
river’s untapped flow was taking a gigantic
mass of water into the sea. It made me
think, that as a nation too we were failing to
utilize our tremendous energies.

Where are we making a mistake? What is
it that needs to be corrected? We have a
roadmap in our five-year plans that covers
some of the things we need to achieve. We
have most of the necessary resources. There
seems to be an attitude problem, as if we
cannot shake ourselves out of a mindset of
limited achievement. This book is all about
breaking away from the forces that would
prefer us to remain a nation of a billion
people selling cheap labour and raw
materials and providing a large market for

Preface / xiii

goods and services of other nations.

I am writing this book to make my young
readers hear a voice that says, ‘Start moving.’
Leadership must lead us to prosperity. Young
Indians with constructive ideas should not
have to see them wither in the long wait for
approval. They have to rise above norms
which are meant to keep them timid in the
name of safety and to discourage
entrepreneurship in the name of trade
regimes, organizational order and group
behaviour. As it is said, Thinking is the
capital, Enterprise is the way. Hard Work is
the solution.

Every nation has struggled to achieve its
goals. Generations have given their best to
make life better for their offspring. There is
nothing mysterious or hidden about this, no
alternative to effort. And yet we fail to follow
the winning track. More than the problems
outside — globalization, recession, inflation,
insurgency, instability and so on — I am
concerned about the inertia that has gripped
the national psyche, the mindset of defeat. I
believe that when we believe in our goals,

xiv / Preface

that what we dream of can become reality,
results will begin to follow. Ignited Minds is
about developing that conviction in ourselves,
and discarding the things that hold us back.

This was, in fact, a central thought that
I kept in mind as I wrote. Share my dream
of a developed India and see it made real in
your own and others’ lives. In my own way,
I have tried to follow my beliefs, to do what
I loved doing. I have tried, however, to
guide but not to impose my views on others.

You will find in this book plain speaking:
Surge ahead as a developed nation or perish
in perpetual poverty, subservient to a few
countries that control the world politically
and economically. There are no other
alternatives.

In the nine chapters of this book, I take
up various themes. I begin with a rumination
on peace, without which there can be no
progress, and on the shift in the direction of
my own life that occurred after surviving a
helicopter crash. There is a chapter based
on my interaction with children all over
India. Other chapters contain the insights I

Preface / xv

gained in my meetings with saints and seers,
scientists, outstanding thinkers and others.
There are accounts of some promising
experiments in agriculture and in the
medical field. Elsewhere I deal with concepts
that carry the seed of solutions. The contents
essentially come from the people of this
nation, from what they have taught me.

I have written this book as an expression
of my faith in the potential of India and my
countrymen. We have all the resources we
need, whether it be people, talent, natural
bounty or other assets. India is truly blessed
with a real, though latent, abundance.
Scarcity of resources is not the cause of our
problems. Our problems originate in our
approach towards them. We are spreading
our resources too wide and too thin. With
our resources and the money we spend we
could easily accomplish three times what we
do, in half the time we normally take, if we
were to operate in mission mode with a
vision for the nation. The vision generates
the best in every field.

We must change tracks. It is imperative

xvi / Preface

that our policy making become more
responsive and efficient so that the stifled
entrepreneurship is liberated. Key to that is
better coordination among the various
departments, rather than emphasis on
priorities according to the preferences of
individual departments. There are more
reviews than views available. Every channel
appears blocked by some obstacle or the
other. The trapped energies and the
suppressed initiative need to be freed and
properly harnessed. Nor do we particularly
need every time to borrow models from
elsewhere. I don’t think the American,
Japanese or Singaporean solutions will work
for us. Knocking at others’ doors will be
futile. Instead of importing theories and
transplanting concepts we need to grow our
own solutions. Instead of searching for
answers outside we will have to look within
for them.

I hope that when you go through these
nine chapters you will be given the guidance
that I got from the people of my country
and feel connected to the wisdom that is so

Preface / xvii

special to this soil. The reality of a developed
nation will become part of your daily life.
Twenty years from now I may not be around.
But I am sure many of you will be there to
share in the glory of success and agree that
I was right in being so confident.

Many friends and associates helped me
put this book together. I am grateful to
them all. My special thanks to Mr Y.S. Raj an,
and Dr M.S. Vijayaraghavan for shaping my
thoughts with their vital inputs. Dr A.
Sivathanu Pillai has worked with me for a
long time and his contribution has been
both timely and invaluable in giving shape
to ideas and thoughts. I am fortunate to
have his friendship. I am grateful to Mr
H. Sheridon who directly keyed in my
dictations into his laptop computer with
outstanding skill. My co-author in Wings of
Fire, Mr Aran K. Tiwari, did his usual
craftsmanship with words on the manuscript
and I appreciate every bit of that. It was a
great pleasure to work with Mr Krishan
Chopra of Penguin Books. From the
emanation of my thoughts to the book’s

xviii / Preface

realization, his constant interaction was of
great support.

Chennai A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

April 2002

1

THE DREAM AND THE MESSAGE

Dream , Dream, Dream
Dreams transform into thoughts
And thoughts result in action.

(3n 30 September 2001, I was on my way to
Bokaro from Ranchi in Jharkhand when the
helicopter carrying me crashed moments
before landing. It hit the earth with a thud
after its engine failed. All of us on board
had a miraculous escape. Grateful to God
but unfazed by the incident, I went ahead
with my scheduled programme of addressees

2 / Ignited Minds

the students in Bokaro. At night, however, a
panel of doctors persuaded me to take a
tranquillizer to alleviate my perceived shock.
The drug made me sleep hours ahead of my
usual time — 1 a.m. I also failed to rise at my
usual 6 a.m. and woke up only after
eight o’clock.

It was, however, a disturbed sleep, and
sometime in the middle of it, I fell to
thinking why the human race, the best of all
of God’s creations, has been so deeply
divided by violence. I imagined a
conversation between five people who
together symbolize the finest attributes of
the human mind and whom I admire deeply.
Through their conversation, I sought an
answer. In this experience, much more
intense and vivid than a dream, though for
want of a better word I shall term it that, I
saw myself in a desert with miles of sand all
around. There was a full moon and the
desert was bathed in its light. Five men —
Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Emperor
Asoka, Abraham Lincoln and Galiph Omar —
stood in a circle, their clothes ruffled by the
wind.

The Dream and the Message / 3

I felt myself dwarfed standing next to
the majestic Emperor Asoka. Asoka led two
lives, one as a ruthless conqueror and the
other as a compassionate ruler. The man I
stood beside was the one who had just
returned from conquest. But victory had
been obtained at heavy cost: the battle of
Kalinga claimed the lives of at least 300,000
people and an equal number were wounded.
I saw everyone looking at Asoka who fell on
his knees and removed his armour and
crown. His face was pale, reflecting the death
surrounding him. He looked at the sky. He
saw the bright cool moon shining and God’s
grace pouring down on mother earth. And
he looked down at the horror he had created,
making blood flow everywhere. In that
moment of beauty and horror — the silver
moonlight and the suffering and pain on
the ground, when Nature itself seemed to
speak out against what he had wrought,
Ahimsa Dharma was bom. Emperor Asoka
embraced God’s command to propagate love
for human beings through this doctrine.

As I stood by, I wondered. Why the

4 / Ignited Minds

Kalinga war, why the assassination of
Mahatma Gandhi and of Abraham Lincoln?
Or many others like them? Has God Almighty
faltered in His Creation? Is the destruction
of mankind essential for a Second Creation?

In that blissful silence the Mahatma
spoke, ‘Friends, the divine message we are
hearing is the message of creation. Since we
all belong to planet earth, we may give a
message to mankind, how people of different
races, religions and languages can live
peacefully and prosperously together.

‘God Almighty has blessed us all with
something unique that we passed on to
mankind through our deeds and efforts. Is
that working? Is there any divine message or
doctrine? Divine beauty should enter the
human soul and happiness blossom in the
body and mind. Is it possible?’

Asoka said, ‘Friends, there is one thing I
have realized, there is no victory in causing
suffering. Triumph is a peaceful kingdom.’

Caliph Omar said, ‘I learned after I
entered Jerusalem that all men are equal.
There is no point in forcing others to follow

The Dream and the Message / 5

your path. You will get only that which is
ordained for you. God alone is the sovereign. ’

Caliph Omar never saw his position in
terms of the special privileges that it carried.
To him government was a sacred trust and
he did his best not to betray that trust in any
way.

It was Einstein’s turn. ‘I would like to
recall my friend Werner Heisenberg’s view,
‘You know, in the West we have built a
large, beautiful ship. It has all the comforts
in it, but one thing is missing: it has no
compass and does not know where to go.
Men like Tagore and Gandhi and their
spiritual forebears found the compass. Why
can this compass not be put in the human
ship so that both can realize their purpose?” ’

Abraham Lincoln, the great American
leader who fought against slavery and whose
life paralleled that of the Mahatma in certain
respects, said at this point, ‘There is one
thing that I would like to say: happiness
comes from a family’s prosperity at various
levels. God’s grace gives bliss to human lives.
Happiness and bliss are two important

6 / Ignited Minds

components of a godly life on earth. Perhaps
there is so much conflict between peoples
and nations because in our pursuit of
prosperity and power we have lost sight of
ethical values. We must ask ourselves, what
is the role of human consciousness? Does it
have a part in political thinking, scientific
thinking and theological thinking? Is
spirituality acceptable in the business of life?’

Mahatma Gandhi recalled sage
Ashtavakra who propounded, ‘ “Oh my son!
You are the very Consciousness within which
arises this phenomenal universe that is not
separate from what you are. How can there
be a question of anything being acceptable
or unacceptable?” Let the business of life be
peace and prosperity, and not exploitation
and conflict. ,

‘This is our message to the planet.
Everything that we do, any doctrine that we
espouse, should be for the good of
humankind. ’

The next morning I kept sitting for some
time drinking my tea and pondering about
this strange dream. What if the helicopter

The Dream and the Message / 7

had lost power at some more height? Just a
few hours before my own mishap, a plane
carrying a promising leader and a team of
young and talented journalists had crashed,
killing all. I had been lucky to survive and
now there was the night’s experience that
seemed to hold a message for me. What
should I do?

I looked out of the window. The sun was
well up in the sky and there was a soothing
breeze. I have always lived in close touch
with nature and have always found it a friend,
giving without reservation, like the mango
tree — people throw stones at it, break off its
branches, but it still offers its shade to the
weary traveller, and its fruit to the hungry.
Whether it was the sea at Rameswaram,
Thumba and Chandipur; the desert at
Pokhran; or the gigantic boulders in
Hyderabad, nature has always made its
presence felt wherever I have worked. It has
helped to remind me of the divine force
that pervades all of creation.

I kept on pondering over my dream.
And yet, the histoiy of the world shows the

8 / Ignited Minds

forces of good struggling hard to make life
better for mankind while the human race
also shows a terrible capacity for destruction.
Thus we have Gandhi, and other great saints
and teachers who lay down the precepts for
a happy and virtuous life, on the one hand,
and on the other the death of millions in
the Second World War and the dropping of
atomic bombs that destroyed entire cities.
Thousands have died in the Bosnia conflict,
the Israel— Palestine conflict continues to take
lives, and on 11 September 2001 terrorists
used a new tactic to take lives when they
struck at the World Trade Center in New
York. At home, in the Bhopal gas tragedy,
30,000 people died as the result of the
carelessness of a multinational company, and
thousands more have died in the Kashmir
Valley violence. On 13 December 2001, when
the leaders of India were in Parliament, an
attempt was made by the terrorists to paralyse
the country. Where will it all stop? Are we
doomed to destroy ourselves? No, we have
to find an everlasting solution.

The Dream and the Message / 9

I recall a poem I wrote a few years ago,
‘The Tree of Life’.

You, the human race are the best of my
creations

You will live and live.

And give and give till you are united.

In happiness and pain!

My bliss will be bom in you,

Love is a continuum,

That is the mission of humanity.

You will see every day in the Life Tree.

You leam and leam,

My best of creations.

The five great human beings I saw in my
dream lived at different times. In the modern
world, there are few examples of human
beings who embody the qualities that come
from realizing the nature of the mind. Once
a child asked me if I had read the
Mahabharata and if so, who my favourite
character in it was. The multifaceted
characters in the epic represent almost every
aspect of human nature, good as well as bad.
I told the child that I was particularly

10 / Ignited Minds

attracted to the character of Vidura, who
showed grit against the wrongdoings of
authority and had the courage to differ when
everyone else chose to surrender before the
tyranny of adharma.

Today, it is hard for us to find one true
Vidura among our leaders. It is hard for us
to imagine such an enlightened being and
even harder for us to aim for such
enlightenment. More discouraging still is
the quality of public life today, the low level
of discourse and the presence of so much
ego, anger, greed, jealousy, spite, cruelty,
lust, fear, anxiety and turmoil! I felt a new
determination dawning inside me.

In this my most important decision I
decided to help discover the nature of India’s
true self in its children. My own work and
indeed I as a person were relegated to the
background. My scientific career, my teams,
my awards, all this became secondary. I
wanted instead to be a part, of the eternal
intelligence that is India. I hoped to
transcend myself and discover the inner,
higher self that is in us through my
interaction with joyous children.

The Dream and the Message /II

A man is said to pass through different
stages in his lifetime. Dr Wayne W. Dyer, in
his book Manifest Your Destiny, makes an
interesting categorization of them as athelete
stage, warrior stage, statesperson stage and
spirit stage. It occurred to me that nations
too make a similar transition and. in
extending this analogy to them I have termed
the last two stages big brother and self-
realization stages respectively. The stages do
not follow in sequence necessarily; they can
be coexistent, with one aspect dominant.

In the first, athlete stage, a nation fresh
from an independence struggle, or some
other transition, embarks on an energetic
pursuit of performance and achievement.
This has happened in Japan, Singapore and
Malaysia.

When a nation leaves this stage behind,
it generally enters the warrior stage. Proud
of its achievements, it finds ways to
demonstrate its superiority over others,
perhaps through conquest. Ego is the driving
force. During this stage people are busy with
goals and achievements in competition with

12 / Ignited Minds

others and this, as Dyer points out for the
individual, generates anxiety. Convincing
others of its superiority becomes the theme.

In the next, big brother stage, the ego
has been tamed somewhat and with its
newfound maturity awareness shifts to what
is important to other nations and societies.
In the big brother stage the nation is still an
achiever but it is not so obsessed with proving
its strength. The idea is to help others
become better. The erstwhile Soviet Union
by its developmental role in some countries
had adopted this role. As with the individual,
so too with the nation, the transition from
the warrior stage to the big brother stage is
a rewarding but difficult exercise.

There is one stage even higher than this
big brother stage. In this, a nation recognizes
its truest essence. It comes out of the wisdom
that the earth is no single nation’s
inheritance but of all, and its people are
aware of the responsibility of the individual
towards his fellow human beings. This can
be called the realization stage, and India
may have the potential to achieve it.

The Dream and the Message / 13

In my working career of forty-three years,
I have changed my tasks in several
institutions. Change is crucial. It brings new
thought; new thought leads to innovative
actions. On 15 August 2001, 1 took a decision
to go for another change. I mentioned my
intention to Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee, who asked me to rethink. I had
spoken to him of my desire to be relieved
on a few earlier occasions too but he advised
me to continue and prevailed.

As a rocket man too I worked with stages.
Each stage is jettisoned after taking the rocket
further along its intended trajectory. I worked
with the Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO) during 1963—82. In 1980, India
launched its first satellite launch vehicle
successfully that put the Rohini satellite into
orbit and became a member of the exclusive
space club. I headed the team as Project
Director of the mission for SLV-3. Our
success in this effort gave the nation satellite
launch vehicle technology and expertise in
control, guidance, propulsion and
aerodynamics, besides the ability to design

14 / Ignited Minds

various rocket systems. Above all, this project
enriched the organization with enhanced
capabilities in design, development and
management systems integrating inputs from
different institutions such as R&D
laboratories, industry and academia. And
the programme also gave leaders in
technology and management. Today they all
are working in various space and defence
programmes. This was my first stage, in which
I learnt leadership from three great
teachers — Dr Vikram Sarabhai, Prof. Satish
Dhawan and Dr Brahm Prakash. This was
the time of learning and acquisition of
knowledge for me.

The second stage could then be from
1982 in the Defence Research and
Development Organization (DRDO). Again
it was teamwork against the background of
denial of technology through the instruments
of the Missile Technology Control Regime
(MTCR) and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT). I had the opportunity to work
with teams and DRDO labs that led to the
design, development, production and

The Dream and the Message / 15

operationalization of two strategic missiles.
These types of strategic missiles will not be
available to India from any country, no
matter how friendly our relations with it.
During this period, three new laboratories
and facilities, one in the area of missile
technology called Research Centre Imarat
(RCI) at Hyderabad and two other missile
test centres, one on the mainland and the
other on an island, near Chandipur on the
coast of Bay of Bengal, were born with
excellent capabilities. In addition, the nation
became strong as capability in critical
technologies emerged from laboratories and
academic institutions that helped us
overcome the constraints of the MTCR. My
team could design and develop any type of
missile system, including the Intercontinental
Ballistic Missile (ICBM).

During this stage, I have gone through
many successes and some failures. I learnt
from failures and hardened myself with
courage to face them. This was my second
stage, which taught me the crucial lesson of
managing failures.

16 / Ignited Minds

The third stage can be the participation
in India’s mission to become a nuclear-
weapon state with a great partnership
between the Department of Atomic Energy
(DAE) and DRDO with the support of the
armed forces. This was a mission well
accomplished.

However, when children ask me, ‘What
has given you happiness in your life in the
last forty years?’ I say I get happiness when
heart patients carry KR coronary stent in
their arteries and when the physically
handicapped children fitted with the
lightweight Floor Reaction Orthosis (FRO)
callipers find their difficulties eased
somewhat. Both of these came as spin-offs
from missile technologies.

During this stage, I held the position of
Chairman of the Technology Information,
Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC)
under the Department of Science and
Technology, for nearly two tenures (about
eight years) . This period saw the creation of
Technology Vision 2020 based on the work
of task teams consisting of 500 experts in all

The Dream and the Message / 17

who had available to them inputs from 5,000
scientists and technologists from different
fields. Later, the Technology Vision
document and the national security aspects
got integrated and the India Millennium
Missions (IMM 2020) emerged. When I took
over as Principal Scientific Adviser to the
Government of India, in November 1999,
the task was to do detailing and evolve a
working plan for IMM 2020. It is indeed a
roadmap for transforming India into a
developed country — the Second Vision of
the Nation. Certain experimental work on
education, agriculture and also development
of a number of villages in an integrated way
is currendy progressing. A Cabinet paper on
the subject has been moved for approval of
the government. During this third stage, it
was building technological strength with
institutional partnership, adapting
technology to societal needs and formulating
the vision for the Nation that occupied me.

The helicopter mishap of 30 September
2001 made me realize that the time to jettison
the third stage had arrived. This thought

18 / Ignited Minds

was further reinforced on 2 October, the
birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, when I visited
Mata Amritanandamayi’s Ashram at Kollam
in Kerala. She emphasized the need to
integrate spirituality with education to create
a new generation of leaders and
entrepreneurs. On 12 October 2001, three
days before I would complete my seventy
orbits around the sun, I formally wrote to
the Prime Minister about my decision to
retire and requested to be relieved in a
month’s time. He relented this time and I
prevailed.

Meanwhile I keep visiting schools. During
my visits to many states, particularly two of
the north-eastern states, Assam and Tripura,
and Jharkhand and also a few places in
Tamil Nadu, I have addressed thousands of
students, about 40,000 at last count. I have
found that I communicate well with this age
group; I share their imagination. Most
important, through my interaction with them,
I feel I can ignite in their minds a love for
science, and through it, a sense of mission
for achieving a developed India.

The Dream and the Message / 19

Will this be my fourth stage? Shall I be
successful? I really don’t know. But what I
do know is that there is no greater power in
heaven or on earth than the commitment to
a dream. Dreams hold something of that
energy which lies at the heart of all things
and are the binding force that brings the
spiritual and the material together.

It had been in my mind for the past few
years to undertake research and teaching.
For this purpose, combined with my desire
to find time to meet schoolchildren, I have
shifted to Anna University — my alma mater.
What a great feeling it is to be among young
people bubbling with creativity and
enthusiasm! What a great responsibility the
elders of this country have at hand to guide
this tremendous energy in a constructive
way for nation building! How can we make
up for missed opportunities and the failures
of the past?

20 / Ignited Minds

SUMMARY

Spirituality must be integrated with education.
Self-realization is the focus. Each one of us must
become aware of our higher self. We are links of
a great past to a grand future. We should ignite
our dormant inner energy and let it guide our
lives. The radiance of such minds embarked on
constructive endeavour will bring peace, prosperity
and bliss to this nation.

2

GIVE US A ROLE MODEL

Men often become what they believe themselves
to be. If I believe I cannot do something,, it
makes me incapable of doing it. But when I
believe I can , then I acquire the ability to do it
even if I didn't have it in the beginning.

— Mahatma Gandhi

W hl

ly should I meet young students in
particular? Seeking the answer I went back
to my student days. From the island of
Rameswaram, what a great journey it’s been!
Looking back it all seems quite incredible.

22 / Ignited Minds

What was it that made it possible? Hard
work? Ambition? Many things come to my
mind. I feel the most important thing was
that I always assessed my worth by the value
of my contribution. The fundamental thing
is that you must know that you deserve the
good things of life, the benefits that God
bestows. Unless our students and young
believe that they are worthy of being citizens
of a developed India, how will they ever be
responsible and enlightened citizens?

There is nothing mysterious about the
abundance in developed nations. The
historic fact is that the people of these
nations — the G8 as they are called — believed
over many generations that they must live a
good life in a strong and prosperous nation.
The reality became aligned with their
aspirations.

I do not think that abundance and
spirituality are mutually exclusive or that it is
wrong to desire material things. For instance,
while I personally cherish a life with
minimum of possessions, I admire
abundance, for it brings along with it security

Give Us a Role Model / 23

and confidence, and these eventually help
preserve our freedom. Nature too does not
do anything by half measures, as you will see
if you look around you. Go to a garden. In
season, there is a profusion of flowers. Or
look up. The universe stretches into
infinitude, vast beyond belief.

All that we see in the world is a
embodiment of energy. We are a part of the
comic energy too, as Sri Aurobindo says.
Therefore when we begin to appreciate that
spirit and matter are both part of existence,
are in harmony with each other, we shall
realize that it is wrong to feel that it is
somehow shameful or non-spiritual to desire
material things.

Yet, this is what we are often led to
believe. Certainly there is nothing wrong
with an attitude of making do with the
minimum, in leading a life of asceticism.
Mahatma Gandhi led such a life but in his
case as in yours it has to be a matter of
choice. You follow such a lifestyle because it
answers a need that arises from deep within
you. However, making a virtue of sacrifice

24 / Ignited Minds

and what is forced upon you — to celebrate
suffering — is a different thing altogether.
This was the basis of my decision to contact
our young. To know their dreams and tell
them that it is perfectly all right to dream of
a good life, an abundant life, a life full of
pleasures and comforts, and work for that
golden era. Whatever you do must come
from the heart, express your spirit, and
thereby you will also spread love and joy
around you.

My first such meeting took place in a
high school in Tripura. It was a gathering of
500 students and teachers. After my talk on
the second vision for transforming India
into a developed nation, there were a series
of questions, two of which I would like to
discuss. The first question was: ‘Where do
we get a role model from, how do you get a
role model?’

Whether we are aware of it or not, from
childhood onwards, through various phases
of life, we adopt role models. I said, ‘When
you are growing up, say till the age of fifteen,
the best role model I can think of would be

Give Us a Role Model / 25

your father, your mother and your
schoolteacher.’ They, to my mind, are the
people who can impart the best guidance
during this period. I turned to the teachers
and parents present there and told them
what a big responsibility they have. I
personally believe the full development of a
child with a value system can only come
from these people. In my own home, when
I was growing up, I used to see my father
and mother say namaz five times a day, and
in spite of their modest financial resources,
I found them always giving to the needy
around. My teacher, Sivasubramania Iyer,
was responsible for persuading my father to
send me to school setting aside financial
constraints. It is very important for every
parent to be willing to make the effort to
guide children to be good human beings —
enlightened and hard-working. The teacher,
the child’s window to learning and
knowledge, has to play the role model in
generating creativity in the child. This
triangle is indeed the real role model I can
think of. I would even go to the extent of

26 / Ignited Minds

saying that if parents and teachers show the
required dedication to shape the lives of the
young, India would get a new life. As it is
said: Behind the parents stands the school,
and behind the teacher the home. Education
and the teacher— student relationship have
to be seen not in business terms but with the
nation’s growth in mind. A proper education
would help nurture a sense of dignity and
self-respect among our youth. These are
qualities no law can enforce — they have to
be nurtured ourselves.

The children enjoyed this answer though
I don’t know whether the parents and
teachers got the message.

Another girl in all seriousness asked,
‘Every day we read in the newspaper or hear
our parents talk about atankvadis (terrorists).
Who are they? Do they belong to our
country?’ This question really shocked me. I
myself was searching for an answer. They are
our own people. Sometimes we create them
through political and economic isolation.
Or they can be fanatics, sometimes sponsored
by hostile nations, trying to disrupt normal

Give Us a Role Model / 27

life through terrorism. I looked at the
audience, at the people sitting by my side, at
the teachers, and at the sky for an answer. I
said, ‘Children, I am reminded of our epics,
the Ramayana and Mahabharata. In the
Ramayana the battle is between the divine
hero Rama and demon king Ravana. It is a
long-drawn battle that finally Rama wins. In
the Mahabharata, there is the battle at
Kurukshetra. In this fight between good and
evil, Dharma wins again. The battles are
many but finally peace triumphs. In our
times too we have seen this battle between
good and evil — for instance, the Second
World War. It seems to me that both good
and ev il will survive side by side. The
Almight y does help them both to various
degre es! How to minimize the evil through
our spiritual growth is a question that has
persisted throughout human history.’

On another occasion, I addressed a veiy
large gathering of students at St Mu tv’s
School, Dindigul in Tamil Nadu on their
seventy-fifth anniversary' celebrations. Among
the large number of children wishing to

28 / Ignited Minds

meet me were two who were in a hurry to
get an answer from me. One student asked,
‘I have read your book Agni Siragugal (the
Tamil version of Wings of Fire ) . You always
give a message to dream. Tell me, why
dream?’

My answer was to ask the gathered
children to recite the following: ‘Dream,
dream, dream. Dream transforms into
thoughts. Thoughts result in actions.’ I told
them, ‘Friends, if there are no dreams, there
are no revolutionary thoughts; if there are
no thoughts, no actions will emanate. Hence,
parents and teachers should allow their
children to dream. Success always follows
dreams attempted though there may be some
setbacks and delays.’

Another boy asked, ‘Please tell me, who
would be the first scientist in the world?’ It
occurred to me — science was born and
survives only by questions. The whole
foundation of science is questioning. And as
parents and teachers well know, children
are the source of unending questions. Hence,
‘Child is the first scientist,’ I replied. There

Give Us a Role Model / 29

was thunderous applause. The children
enjoyed this different way of thinking.
Teachers and parents also smiled at the
answer.

During my visit to Assam, I visited Tezpur.
I had gone for the convocation ceremony of
Tezpur University and also to receive the
honorary doctorate conferred on me. After
the convocation, I took off to meet
schoolchildren. It was a big gathering of
young people. The theme of my address was
‘Indomitable Spirit’. As soon I finished my
talk the youngsters mobbed me for
autographs. When I finished giving
autographs I faced two interesting questions.
One was: ‘Why cannot water from the
Brahmaputra, which is in flood much of the
time, be diverted to Rajasthan or Tamil Nadu
which are starved of water?’

Only children will have these innovative
ideas. Grownups tend to see more
impossibilities. It was such a powerful
question, I was completely beaten. I was sure
even the Prime Minister would not have
been able to answer it! How to tell the boy,

30 / Ignited Minds

rivers are a state subject and our states are
fighting for the rights to their waters? That
these would bring them prosperity some day
but meanwhile they were flowing wastefully
into the sea and causing floods every year.
How to answer it?

I said, ‘India Vision 2020 demands from
the young that they start a great mission of
connecting rivers cutting across the states.’ I
personally feel the young have the most
powerful minds. They can overcome the
negativity of the bureaucracy and some self-
centred policies of the state governments to
enrich the people of the country. They can
even improve coordination between the states
and the Centre. And they surely will!

Another student asked me a question
for which again I had no ready answer. He
said, ‘Sir, big leaders in any field don’t come
and talk to us. We see our Prime Minister
often going to Chennai, Lucknow, and many
places. But he never comes here. We want
him; we want to talk to him.’ 1 was impressed
by this urge to communicate with the
country’s leaders. I said, when 1 reach Delhi,

Give Us a Rote Model / 31

I will tell your dream to the leaders and your
dream will come true.

I later narrated this to the Prime Minister.
He conceded the point and said, ‘Children
don’t talk to me any more. Maybe the security
cordon has created a separation.’ I request
our leaders in different fields to interact
more with the children of the country for a
better understanding of their own purpose
in life as also for helping create a better
future for our children.

I have visited Jharkhand a number of
times after its formation. Every time I visit it,
I am struck by the tremendous resources
that wait to be harnessed in the state, which
will multiply its wealth manifold. At the Sri
Ramakrishna High School, Bokaro, I
addressed a gathering of about 3,000 students
and saw their creativity on display in an
exhibition of their paintings, toys and other
items made by them. In my conversation
with them, one student asked me, ‘In
Jharkhand, it is green everywhere. We have
forests, streams and hills. Why is it that we
have a desert in Rajasthan?’

32 / Ignited Minds

The question reminded me of a similar
one in Assam: Why cannot the Brahmaputra’s
waters be taken to Tamil Nadu and
Rajasthan? ‘You know, twenty years ago, you
would not have seen much cultivation in
Rajasthan. But once the Indira Gandhi Canal
was constructed agriculture became possible
in many places. It is possible for man to
transform the desert into a fertile land.’ I
repeated what I had told the student in
Assam. ‘It has to be one of the greatest
missions of India to connect rivers so that
water can reach many water-starved states.
Visionary action is needed. When you grow
up you will probably be part of reconstructing
this nation and giving shape to these
thoughts.’

One child came to me with a serious
expression and asked, ‘Sir, will your Agni
missile cross the ocean and reach America?’

I was a little startled by this thought. ‘For
us no country is our enemy to send Agni
there. Particularly America is our friend.
Agni symbolizes our strength. It shows that
India has all the capabilities.’

Give Us a Role Model / 33

During my visit to Cuttack I participated
in the birthday celebiations of the late Justice
Harihar Mahapatra. I went there at the
invitation of Justice Ranganath Mishra. For
me, it was a revelation, how the
independence movement, the first vision for
the nation, had created the larger-than-life
figure of Justice Harihar Mahapatra. He lived
to the age of ninety-two and established
Cuttack Eye Hospital, Utkal University and
above all organized multi-pronged efforts to
remove poverty. My biography in Oriya was
released. At the end of my speech the
youngsters crowding around put forth many
questions.

The first question was, ‘Sir, tell us which
are your favourite books, that you loved and
which have shaped your mind?’

I said, ‘Four books in my life have been
very close to my heart. I cherish reading
them. The first is Man the Unknown by
Dr Alexis Carrel, a doctor-tumed-philosopher
and a Nobel laureate. This book highlights
how the mind and body both have to be
treated in an ailment as the two are

34 / Ignited Minds

integrated. You cannot treat one and ignore
the other. In particular, children who dream
of becoming doctors should read the book.
They will learn that the human body is not
a mechanical system; it is a very intelligent
organism with a most intricate and sensitive
feedback system. The second book, one I
venerate, is Tiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural, which
provides an excellent code of life. The third
is Light from Many Lamps by Lillian Eichler
Watson which has touched me deeply. It
illuminates how we live and has been an
invaluable guide to me - for fifty years. And
the Holy Quran is, of course, a constant
companion.’

Addressing another gathering of
schoolchildren in Anand, Gujarat, one smart
boy asked a very intelligent question: ‘Who
is our enemy?’ I liked the question and put

y «

it to the other students, encouraging them
to come forward with their views. Then came
the answer, ‘Poverty.’ What a wise reaction
from this young child whom I have
mentioned in the dedication.

The last question, which I am including

Give Us a Role Model / 35

here, came from the powerful mind of
another child. ‘Tell me, sir, are Pakistani
weapons stronger than Indian ones?’ I asked
the child why this doubt arose in his mind.
Reports he read in the media led him to
think so, he said.

‘This is a unique characteristic of our
country — to belittle our capabilities. It may
even be genetic!’ I said. ‘India can design,
develop and produce any type of missile and
any type of nuclear weapon. This is a
capability only four countries in the world
have. You remove all the doubts from your
mind,’ I told the child, who gave me a very
satisfied look.

I have selected only eleven questions
here from among the hundreds of questions
I have been asked during the course of
meeting 40,000 high school students so far.
The questions reflect the children’s
innocence, but most of all they show how
strongly they feel the desire to live in a
strong and prosperous nation. I also realized
from these sessions how important it is for
them to have role models, whether in

36 / Ignited Minds

science, industry, sports, entertainment or
some other field. The question is: Can we
give our children a role model? And how?

At the dawn of the new millennium
came the news that the human genome had
been decoded. All the 30,000 genes that
human beings carry today, we are told, are
identical to those of our Stone Age ancestors
who lived thousands of years ago. One of
the traits that has come down to us from
them, along with others that are needed for
survival, is the desire for achievement.

It is said that nature gave us this instinct
because the need to achieve, like the need
to reproduce, the need to eat, the need to
drink and the need to breathe, is simply too
important to be left to chance. History shows
the hunger for achievement is a highly
evolved one and undoubtedly the strongest
one. We tend to forget it but it underlines
much of our experience. Most important,
without it, how would we learn and grow,
aspire to greater perfection?

I have seen Dr Vikram Sarabhai’s vision
succeeding over three decades through

Give Us a Role Model / 37

sustained and coordinated achievement. At
work in that and any other endeavour was
this same desire to exceed the limits. As we
try and excel, role models play a guiding
role. The power of Vikram Sarabhai was
such that others took up his vision and
completed it long after he was no more. For
you it could be someone else whom you
admire — a sportsperson, a teacher, a
successful entrepreneur.

I recently had the chance to meet a
legendary personality, a role model herself.
Lata Mangeshkar was presiding over a
function in remembrance of her father,
Master Deenanath Mangeshkar. Lata
Mangeshkar is a recipient of the Bharat
Ratna and I felt honoured that she had
asked me to inaugurate the 450-bed
Deenanath Hospital and Research Centre in
Pune. I visited the hospital just before the
inauguration. I found that it would be
treating nearly 30 per cent of the patients
free. I was touched by the fact that despite
her wealth and fame, she had not lost sight
of the fact that one needs to do all one can

38 / Ignited Minds

to help relieve the suffering of others.

Her songs played over the radio have
brought pleasure to countless hearts over
the decades. During the India— China conflict
in 1962, her song ‘Ac mere vatan ke logo’
moved an entire nation. Few people can
claim to have influenced the lives of millions
in such a delightful way.

Role models can help us focus on what
is correct for us as individuals, as groups
and, of course, as a nation. They can also
lead us to great success. We seem to have
gotten carried away with the success of a few
in the field of information technology. But
that is indeed nothing compared to what we
can and should achieve. Ancient India was a
knowledge society and a leader in many
intellectual pursuits, particularly in the fields
of mathematics, medicine and astronomy. A
renaissance is imperative for us to once
again become a knowledge superpower
rather than simply providing cheap labour
in areas of high technology.

Give Us a Role Model / 39

SUMMARY

Nation's wealth is the young generation of the
country. When they grow, who can be the role
models? Mother, father and elementary
schoolteachers play a very important part as role
models. When the child grows, the role models
will be national leaders of quality and integrity in
every field including politics, the sciences,
technology and industry.

3

VISIONARY TEACHERS AND
SCIENTISTS

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
Begin it now.

— Goethe

r"~T t

X he great minds of the country had the
ability to make others join their endeavour
to convert dreams into reality. For them, the
nation was bigger than themselves and they
could draw thousands to act upon their
dreams.

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 41

In December 2000, I had participated in
the birth centenary celebrations of
Adhyapaka Rathna T. Totadri Iyengar. I
graduated in science from St Joseph’s
College, Tiruchirapalli (1954). As a young
student I saw Prof. T. Totadri Iyengar — a
unique, divine-looking personality — walking
through the college campus every morning
and teaching mathematics to the students of
B.Sc. (Honours) and M.Sc. The students
looked at him with awe as one would at a
guru, which indeed he was. When he walked,
knowledge radiated all around. At that time,
‘Calculus’ Srinivasan was my mathematics
teacher. He used to talk about Prof. Totadri
Iyengar with deep respect and would
organize integrated classes for first year B.Sc.
(Honours) and first year B.Sc. (Physics) to
be taught by him. I also had the opportunity
to attend some of these classes, particularly
on the subjects of modern algebra and
statistics. When we were in first year B.Sc.,
‘Calculus’ Srinivasan used to pick the top
ten students as members of the Mathematics
Club of St Joseph’s where Prof. Totadri
Iyengar used to give lecture series.

42 / Ignited Minds

One day, in 1952, he gave a lecture on
ancient mathematicians and astronomers of
India. He spoke for nearly one hour. The
lecture still rings in my ears. Let me share
with you my thoughts about some ancient
mathematicians, glimpses of whom I saw in
Prof. Totadri Iyengar in my own way.

Aryabhata, born in 476 ad in Kusumapura
(now called Patna), was an astronomer and
mathematician. He was reputed to be a
repository of all the mathematical knowledge
known at that point of time. He was only
twenty-three years old when he wrote
Aryabhatiyam in two parts. The text covers
arithmetic, algebra and trigonometry and,
of course, astronomy. He gave formulae for
the areas of a triangle and a circle and
attempted to give the volumes of a sphere
and a pyramid. He was the first to give an
approximation to pi as the ratio of a circle’s
circumference and diameter, arriving at the
value of 3.1416. To celebrate this great
astronomer, India named its first satellite
launched in 1975 Aryabhata.

Brahmagupta was born in 598 ad at

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 43

Billamala in Rajasthan in the empire of
Harsha. He wrote the Brahma Sphuta
Siddhanta at the age of thirty. He updated
works of astronomy. He covered progressions
and geometry. He also studied and gave
what is known as the solution of
indeterminate equations of different degrees
as well as solutions to quadratic equations.

Bhaskaracharya was another unique
intellectual of his time. He was bom in 1114
ad at Vijjalbada, located at what is now the
border of Karnataka and Maharashtra. He
wrote the famous Siddhanthasiromani in four
chapters. He dealt with astronomy and
algebra and is known to be the first
recognized mathematician who evolved value
to zero from the concept based on
Aryabhata’s discovery. To honour him,
ISRO’s second series of satellites was named
Bhaskara I and II (1979 and 1981).

The work of these three mathematicians
of India provides the context of Albert
Einstein’s remark that ‘We owe a lot to the
Indians who taught us how to count, without
which no worthwhile scientific discovery

44 / Ignited Minds

could have been made.’

Then comes to my mind the greatest of
all geniuses ever known and acknowledged,
and who lived within our present memory —
Srinivasa Ramanujan. He lived only for thirty-
three years (1887-1920) and had no practical
formal education or means of living. Yet, his
inexhaustible spirit and love for his subject
enabled him to make a vast contribution to
mathematical research and some of his
contributions are still under serious study,
engaging the efforts of mathematicians to
establish formal proofs. Ramanujan was a
unique Indian genius who could melt the
heart of as rigorous a mathematician as
Prof. G.H. Hardy of Trinity College,
Cambridge. In fact, it is not an exaggeration
to say that it was Hardy who discovered
Ramanujan for the world. Why do not our
reputed scientists locate another Ramanujan
in our schools? Oh my friends why don’t you
in every field integrate and grow instead of
differentiating!

‘Every integer is a personal friend of
Ramanujan,’ one of the tributes to

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 45

Ramanujan said and it was no exaggeration.
Prof. Hardy, while rating geniuses on a scale
of 100, put most of them in the range of
around 30, giving a rating of 60 to the rare
exception. However, for Ramanujan, he
suggested, only the value of 100 would fit.
There can be no better tribute to either
Ramanujan or to the Indian heritage.
Ramanujan’s work covers vast areas including
prime numbers, hyper geometric series,
modular functions, elliptic functions, mock
theta functions, even magic squares, apart
from some serious work on the geometry of
ellipses, squaring the circle and so on.

I hope that eminent teachers who teach
and inspire the young students of
mathematics will continue their unmatched
and noble services in the years to come, thus
ensuring the march of Indian brilliance in
this field. Prof. S. Chandrasekhar, the
astrophysicist, continued the Indian
mathematics tradition in his work abroad.
Of course mathematics is universal. Now the
tradition will further blossom with the efforts
of Prof. C.S. Seshadri, Prof. J.V. Narlikar,

46 / Ignited Minds

Prof. M.S. Narasimhan, Prof. S.R.S. Varadhan,
Prof. M.S. Raghunathan, Prof. Narender
Karmakar and Prof. Ashok Sen, among
others.

Sir C.V. Raman started his career in the
Office of the Accountant General, Calcutta.
But the scientist in him would not let him
rest and he was always probing for answers
to some of the problems that interested
him. Fortunately, he was supported by the
great educationist Ashutosh Mukheijee, who
encouraged Sir C.V. Raman to pursue his
research. It is noteworthy that the Raman
Effect, the discovery of which brought him
the Nobel prize, did not come out of a
grand establishment set up at vast expense.
I believe the urge to show to the world the
excellence of Indian minds would have been
a major motivating factor for Sir C.V. Raman.
The same is the case with Prof. S.
Chandrasekhar, also a Nobel laureate for his
work on black holes. There are some
interesting statements in his biography
Chandra by Kameshwar C. Wali. As it points
out, ‘Chandra grew up in what was a golden

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 47

age for science, art and literature in India,
spurred on partly by the struggle for
independence. J.C. Bose, C.V. Raman,
Meghnad Saha, Srinivasa Ramanujan, and
Rabindranath Tagore, by their achievements
in scientific and creative endeavours, became
national heroes along with Jawaharlal Nehru,
Mahatma Gandhi, and a host of others . . .’
Possibly, their great success helped produce
an atmosphere of creativity. Howsoever it
may be, it is worth noting, as Chandrasekhar
observed, ‘that in the modern era before
1910, there were no (Indian) scientists of
international reputation or standing. Between
1920 and 1925, we had suddenly five or six
internationally well-known men. I myself have
associated this remarkable phenomenon with
the need for self-expression, which became
a dominant motive among the young during
the national movement. It was a part of the
national movement to assert oneself. India
was a subject country, but . . . particularly in
science, we could show the West in their
own realm that we were equal to them’.

Here I would like to quote Sir C.V.

48 / Ignited Minds

Raman, who said in 1969 while addressing
young graduates, ‘I would like to tell the
young men and women before me not to
lose hope and courage. Success can only
come to you by courageous devotion to the
task lying in front of you. I can assert without
fear of contradiction that the quality of the
Indian mind is equal to the quality of any
Teutonic, Nordic or Anglo-Saxon mind. What
we lack is perhaps courage, what we lack is
perhaps driving force, which takes one
anywhere. We have, I think, developed an
inferiority complex. I think what is needed
in India today is the destruction of that
defeatist spirit. We need a spirit of victory, a
spirit that will carry us to our rightful place
under the sun, a spirit which can recognize
that we, as inheritors of a proud civilization,
are entitled to our rightful place on this
planet. If that indomitable spirit were to
arise, nothing can hold us from achieving
our rightful destiny.’

Further afield, there was similarly the
emergence of others who were great in their
respective fields. Interestingly, a music trinity

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 49

of great saints, Thiagaraja Swamigal,
Muthuswamy Deekshidar and Shyama
Sastrigal, also emerged at the same time in
south India within a 50-km radius. What we
should note is that the movement for
independence generated the best of leaders
in arts, science, technology, economics,
history and literature who stand with the
best in the world.

In more recent times too we have seen
the emergence of great visionary scientists.
Particularly, I was interested in the lives of
three scientists — Dr D.S. Kothari, Dr Homi
J. Bhabha and Dr Vikram Sarabhqi. I wanted
to learn more about their leadership qualities
in the scientific and technological fields
which helped link these to the development
of the nation. They are the founders of
three great institutions — DRDO, DAE, ISRO.

Dr D.S. Kothari, a professor at Delhi
University, was an outstanding physicist and
astrophysicist. He is well known for ionization
of matter by pressure in cold compact objects
like planets. This theory is complementary
to the epoch-making theory of thermal

50 / Ignited Minds

ionization of his guru, Dr Meghnad Saha.
Dr D.S. Kothari set a scientific tradition in
Indian defence tasks when he became
Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister in
1948. The first thing he did was to establish
the Defence Science Centre to do research
in electronic materials, nuclear medicine
and ballistic science. He is considered the
architect of defence science in India. We are
celebrating this great mind through a
research chair at the Indian Institute of
Science.

Dr Bhabha did research in theoretical
physics at Cambridge University. From 1930
to 1939, Homi Bhabha carried out research
relating to cosmic radiation. In 1939, he
joined Sir C.V. Raman at IISc, Bangalore.
Later, he founded the Tata Institute of
Fundamental Research with focus on nuclear
and mathematical sciences. He established
the Atomic Energy Commission in 1948. His
vision led to the setting up of numerous
centres in the field of nuclear science and
technology, such as those for producing
nuclear power, or for research in nuclear

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 51

medicine. These science institutions
generated further technological centres
keeping nuclear science as the vital
component.

Dr Sarabhai, the youngest of the three,
had worked with Sir C.V. Raman in
experimental cosmic rays. He established
the Physical Research Laboratory at
Ahmedabad with space research as the focus.
In 1963, Thumba Equatorial Rocket
Launching Station (TERLS) began launching
sounding rockets for atmospheric research.
Dr Sarabhai established the Space Science 8c
Technology Centre (SSTC) and was its
director. His vision led to the establishment
of ISRO with its allied centres responsible
for development of launch vehicles, satellites,
mission management and applications.

These three Indian scientists, all of them
physicists, started physics research institutions
that blossomed into defence technology,
nuclear technology and space technology,
which now employ 20,000 scientists in centres
spread around the country. One thing I
noted was that all three realized the

52 / Ignited Minds

importance of making the political leadership
understand what science could do for the
country. It is essential that technologies that
give immediate benefits to the people be
taken up for implementation by the system
regardless of which party is in power. Another
important message conveyed by these
scientists is that basic science is vital for
growth of technology and for developing
new leaders in science. Let us learn from
them the proven qualities of leadership to
value science and technology in an integrated
way.

In 1962, Dr Sarabhai and Dr Bhabha
were looking for a site to establish the space
research station in the equatorial region.
Thumba in Kerala was found most suitable
as it was near the equatorial region and was
ideally suited for ionospheric research. The
locality, however, was inhabited by thousands
of fishermen living in the villages there. It
also had a beautiful church called St Mary
Magdalene Church and the Bishop’s house.
As such, the acquisition of the land did not
move any further.

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 53

Dr Sarabhai met the Bishop, His
Excellency Rev. Dr Peter Bernard Pereira,
on a Saturday and requested transfer of the
property. The Bishop smiled and asked him
to meet him the next day. In the Sunday
morning service, the Bishop told the
congregation, ‘My children, I have a famous
scientist with me who wants our church and
the place I live for the work of space science
and research. Science seeks truth that
enriches human life. The higher level of
religion is spirituality. The spiritual preachers
seek the help of the Almighty to bring peace
to human minds. In short, what Vikram is
doing and what I am doing are the same —
both science and spirituality seek the
Almighty’s blessings for human prosperity in
mind and body. Children, can we give them
God’s abode for a scientific mission?’ There
was silence for a while followed by a hearty
‘Amen’ from the congregation which made
the whole church reverberate.

It was indeed a great experience working
with Dr Sarabhai from 1963 to 1971. As a
young engineer engaged in the tasks of

54 / Ignited Minds

composite technology, explosive systems and
rocket engineering systems at the
Thiruvananthapuram space centre I drew
tremendous energy from his leadership.
Though the nation was in its technological
infancy, Dr Sarabhai was dreaming of
developing our own satellite launch vehicles.
These would be used to launch from Indian
soil remote sensing satellites in sun-
synchronous orbit and communication
satellites in geosynchronous orbit. Today,
his vision is almost realized with the launch
of the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle
(GSLV). ISRO has also operationalized the
IRS and INSAT systems, thereby bringing
the benefits of space to the common man.

There is an experience I would like to
share with you in relation to Dr Sarabhai ’s
vision for space programmes. I wrote briefly
in Wings of Fire about this episode. The
design project of India’s first satellite launch
vehicle (SLV-3) was taken up at the Vikram
Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). The design
of each stage of rocket, heat shield and
guidance system was given to selected project

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 55

leaders. I was given the design project of the
fourth stage of SLV-3, that is, the upper
stage rocket, which would give the final
velocity to put Rohini into orbit. This fourth
stage uses an advanced composite material
that provides high strength with minimum
weight. It also has maximum loading of high
energy solid propellant. While we were
developing the design of this upper stage in
1970, I received a call from Dr Sarabhai
from Ahmedabad stating that he would be
visiting Thiruvananthapuram along with Prof.
Hubert Curien, chairman of CNES, the
French space agency. I was asked to give a
presentation about the fourth stage to Prof.
Curien ’s team. When the presentation was
over, we realized that the SLV-3 fourth stage
was also being considered as upper stage for
the French Diamont P-4 launch vehicle. The
CNES needed an apogee rocket motor nearly
double the propellant weight and also size
of the stage that we had designed.

A decision was then taken in the same
meeting that the fourth stage should be
reconfigured to match and suit both Diamont

56 / Ignited Minds

P-4 and SLV-B. I mention this episode
because at the time this decision was taken,
we ourselves were in the design stage! Such
was Dr Sarabhai’s confidence in the Indian
scientific community. Development work on
this stage started ahead of the other stages
of SLV-3. With our motivation thus boosted,
work proceeded in full swing. A series of
reviews took place between the two teams
and the fourth stage graduated from drawing
board to developing stage. Unfortunately in
1971, Dr Sarabhai passed away, and at the
same time the French government called off
the Diamont P-4 programme.

Once the fourth stage was developed
and a series of tests was going on, a new
requirement appeared on the horizon, in
the form of India building a small
communication satellite to be launched by
the European Ariane launch vehicle. For
the APPLE — Ariane Passenger Payload
Experiment — communication satellite, the
SLV-S fourth stage proved a perfect fit and it
was included in the payload of the Ariane
launch in 1981 from Kourou, French Guiana.

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 57

The vision seeded in 1970 by Dr Vikram
Sarabhai was indeed realized when APPLE
was placed in geostationary orbit and started
communicating with our earth stations.
APPLE’S success proved that a vision with
committed scientific support will achieve its
aim. This achievement came as a fantastic
fillip to the rocket technologists in the
country. The visionary may not be with us
today but his vision gets realized.

The dream of Dr Sarabhai was shaped
into reality by Prof. Satish Dhawan. After he
took charge of ISRO from 1972, Prof.
Dhawan structured and nurtured ISRO with
a space profile and his work led to many
significant accomplishments and benefits
from a number of remote sensing and
communication satellites. The Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle accomplished the feat of
launching multiple satellites for India and
other countries, injecting them in different
orbits in a single mission.

I learned an important lesson in
management from Prof. Dhawan when I was
appointed Project Director SLV-3 in 1972 to

58 / Ignited Minds

design, develop and launch the first satellite
launch vehicle to inject Rohini into near
earth orbit. This was that when a Project
Director is appointed, the whole
organization — including the Chairman
ISRO — works for his success. It is a lesson
that has been of abiding value all through
the other projects I have worked on. The
other thing I have learnt after more than
forty years of working in three departments
in various projects and programmes is that
you will succeed as a project leader as long
as you remember that the project is bigger
than you. Wherever the project leader tries
to make himself out to be bigger than the
project, the enterprise suffers.

I recall my working at ISRO
Headquarters, Bangalore, as Director,
Launch Vehicle Programmes/Systems, in the
early 1980s, when we were debating the
performance and cost-effectiveness of launch
vehicles. In 1981, the scientists of VSSG,
Thiruvananthapuram, with the help of other
ISRO centres, evolved a configuration of the
PSLV core vehicle with two large strap-on

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 59

boosters. The PSLV weighed about 400
tonnes at take-off. Prof. Dhawan wanted to
study an alternative and simple configuration.
I and some of my colleagues, A. Sivathanu
Pillai, N. Sundarrajan and K. Padmanaba
Menon, carried out mission, technology and
feasibility studies for the optimal
configuration. The team designed several
options, including a unique core vehicle
with an advanced solid propellant booster,
using first stage rockets of SLV-3 as strap-
ons. This brought the PSLV weight down to
only about 2*75 tonnes at take-off. Prof.
Dhawan used to come almost daily to my
small room, which was close to his office,
and debate the possible configuration choice.
He was himself a foremost aerodynamic
specialist with mathematics and system
engineering background, and would illustrate
his ideas on the blackboard and ask us to do
more homework. We also studied the growth
opportunities of PSLV with cryogenic upper
stage as a GSLV and the possibility of
launching due-east geosynchronous missions.
Prof. Dhawan put the two most favoured

60 / Ignited Minds

configurations up for discussion among the
experts and the ISRO teams. Detailed
examination and debate, taking the long-
term plans into account, took place and
they chose the PSLV configuration as
proposed by my launch vehicle team. Prof.
Dhawan considered the future scenario of
operationalization of PSLV and GSLV,
bearing in mind the satellites and application
programmes, and decided on this unique
configuration and evolved the roadmap for
ISRO for the next fifteen years. I and Prof.
Narasimha brought out a book, Development
in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology, with
Prof. Dhawan ’s handwritten fifteen-year space
profile, based on the chosen PSLV
configuration.

A memorable day for me is 31 May 1982.
Prof. Dhawan gave me a send-off in an
unconventional way. He called an ISRO
council meeting to. discuss the future launch
vehicle programme. I made a presentation
to the directors of the ISRO centres on
performance and cost-effectiveness of our
launch vehicles and the growth profile. After

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 61

the presentation. Prof. Dhawan broke the
news that he had given me to DRDO. This
decision indeed gave me a change that led
to progress in a different field.

We see today self-reliance in launch
vehicle technology with PSLV operational
and GSLV getting ready to be
operationalized. This is close to the direction
envisaged in the early 1980s by Prof. Dhawan.
The recognition of ISRO as a successful
organization was due to the strong
foundation and space profile envisioned by
him. One test of leadership is also how well
successors are able to carry forward a
programme. At ISRO, Prof. U.R. Rao and Dr
K. Kasturirangan brought further success
and glory to the organization. After his
retirement Prof. Dhawan continued as a
member of the Space Commission and in
that capacity continued to help the
organization which he built. Remarkably,
Prof. Dhawan saw the space missions
envisioned by him come into being in his
lifetime. He also saw in his lifetime many of
those he had tutored emerge as strong

62 / Ignited Minds

technology leaders themselves who have
contributed immeasurably to the country.
What a great personality he was!

After joining the DRDO, I started the
missile development programme there.
During the Integrated Guided Missile
Development Programme (IGMDP), the
focus was to design missiles with state-of-the-
art performance at the time of deployment.
The surface-to-surface missile Prithvi became
the best in its class and users’ delight with its
high accuracy, reliable performance and the
manoeuvrable trajectories. The first stage of
SLV-3 became handy to configure Agni as a
long-range deterrent. It blossomed from the
REX (Re-Entry experiment) programme
conceived by my team in 1981. Both Prithvi
and Agni are in production and induction
phase. Trishul, which is a surface-to-air
missile, and Akash, once development is
complete, will be contemporary missiles. The
third generation anti-tank Nag will dominate
as one of the best such missiles. In any
aerospace or missile development
programme, delays are possible owing to the

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 63

technical complexity of the work. But this
should not deter us. The propaganda of
foreign sellers and their associates in India
should not dictate India’s procurement
decisions. My experience in dealing with the
network of institutions that has been
established is that our country has
tremendous potential to develop the best
technologies in this field. India could combat
the MTCR very effectively, thereby proving
to those who wanted us to fail that ‘we can
do it’.

Once we had developed competence in
design of missile systems I looked beyond
the IGMDP. The natural course of action
appeared to be the supersonic cruise missile,
which is essential in tactical warfare. Many
countries have cruise missiles, but they fly at
subsonic speed. Our association with one of
the Russian institutes, NPO
Mashinostroyenia, developed into a
partnership in the joint design and
development of supersonic cruise missile
system. This partnership is based upon
friendship and equal competencies.

64 / Ignited Minds

I recall my association with Dr H.A.
Yefremov, Director General of NPO
Mashinostroyenia, an outstanding scientist
of our time, who had developed seven types
of cruise missiles and inducted the systems
in the Russian Navy. Creating a joint venture
between India and Russia in high-technology
projects in the prevailing situation in the
1990s became a complex question and a
challenge to both Dr Yefremov and me.
Whenever I met Dr Yefremov, I got the
feeling of meeting a great scientist like Prof.
Satish Dhawan or Dr Werner Von Braun,
the father of rocketry. Dr Yefremov took me
to his technology centres which are not
normally shown to any foreigner. He truly
treated me as a friend and arranged an
Indian lunch in his laboratory. I took him to
the Research Centre Imarat, an advanced
missile technology centre at Hyderabad. He
was genuinely pleased to see the strides we
had made. Our scientific minds merged and
our friendship blossomed. We christened
the joint venture as BrahMos, a combination
of the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 65

and the Moscow. Sivathanu Pillai,
Ramanathan, Venugopalan and Vice-Admiral
Bharat Bhushan, along with the Russian
specialists, gave shape to the joint venture.
Sivathanu Pillai was the natural choice as
the Chief Executive Officer and Managing
Director of the joint venture, concurrendy
holding charge in DRDO as Chief Controller
R&D for missiles. The dual role, an
exceptional decision of the government, was
essential to ensure the success of this venture.
Venugopalan, an outstanding propulsion
scientist from the Defence Research Be
Development Laboratory (DRDL) , became
the Project Director. A new kind of joint
venture came into existence, one which
bridged the scientific community and
industry of the two countries in design,
development, production and marketing of
an advanced technology weapon. It was a
source of great joy for me, as it was for the
two teams. The first flight of BrahMos on 12
June 2001 from the Interim Test Range,
Chandipur, was a milestone signalling the
progress of the joint venture. The second

66 / Ignited Minds

flight, on 28 April 2002, confirmed the results
of the first and came as a great
encouragement to our effort.

Dr Yefremov and I are glad that both
India and Russia have realized that this joint
venture is the right way to bridge two friendly
nations for building high-technology weapon
systems that could enter the world market.
My dream of marketing an advanced weapon
system ahead of the so-called developed
countries will come true through BrahMos,
even though I am away from the scene. The
team that I built has performed creditably. I
am happy.

I read a book titled An Unfinished, Dream
by the milkman of India, Dr Verghese Kurien.
He says in the book, ‘It was by chance that
I became a dairy man.’ But a British expert’s
criticism, ‘The sewer water of London is
bacteriologically superior to the milk of
Bombay,’ served as a challenge to the young
Kurien, who has taken dairying from strength
to strength over the decades so that today
India is a front-ranker in milk production.

On a visit to Anand I had the opportunity

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 67

to spend a day with him. As I went around
the Amul establishment, I saw value addition
at work. From milk the cooperative has
branched off to making numerous
derivatives, including butter, cheese and ice-
cream. These initiatives have given it the
strength to be a major player in a highly
competitive market. When I asked him what,
in his view, was one sure way of launching
the country on a growth trajectory, his answer
was: ‘You must build on the resources
represented by our young professionals and
by our nation’s farmers. Without their
involvement we cannot succeed. With their
involvement we cannot fail.’

While talking about scientists, I recall
my meeting with a medical specialist. Prof.
Kakarla Subba Rao, at the Indo-American
Cancer Institute at Hyderabad. I asked him
if cancer was some unmitigated curse. Yes
and no, said the seventy-seven-year-old Albert
Einstein Professor of Radiology. Yes, because
we genetically inherit certain traits which
make us vulnerable to cancer. No, because
whether we get it or escape it depends largely

68 / Ignited Minds

on our immune response. Research, into
how the brain can influence immune
response has given rise to the new field
called Psycho-Neuro-Immunology (PNI).
Findings in this field have brought great
hope to people dealing with such difficult
illnesses as cancer, AIDS, CFIDS (Chronic
Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome) and
other immune-system-related diseases. Other
fields of research include Psycho-Neuro-
Cardiology (PNC), the study of the mind-
heart connection, or Psycho-Neuro-
Haematology (PNH), the study of how the
mind can influence blood-related disorders,
such as clotting problems in haemophilia.
Such is the power of thought!

These are diseases which normally
require intensive treatment. But even here,
medicine acknowledges that our minds can
play a major role.

Visionary Teachers and Scientists / 69

SUMMARY

Vision ignites the minds. India needs visionaries
of the stature of J.R.D. Tata, Vikram Sarabhai,
Satish Dhawan and Dr Verghese Kurien, to name a
few, who can involve an entire generation in
mission-driven programmes which benefit the
country as a whole.

4

LEARNING FROM SAINTS
AND SEERS

For the society to prosper there are two important
needs. They are: prosperity through wealth
generation and cherishing the value system of
the people. The combination of the two will
make the Nation truly strong and prosperous.

A always tell the young to dream. This
message comes from the understanding that
each one of us has within ourselves the
ability to create the circumstances for

Learning from Saints and Seers / 71

success — to attract, so to say, to ourselves
what we desire. When as a child Einstein
first saw a compass he was fascinated by the
way the needle moved whenever he changed
direction. Watching the needle became an
obsession with him as he tried to understand
the invisible force that moved the compass
needle. Where was the force located? Who
controlled it? Why did it always work? What
was it made of? Were there places where it
didn’t operate? It is of course the magnetic
energy of the earth that keeps pulling the
compass needle, a tiny magnet, along the
north— south axis of the earth’s magnetic
field. But is that all there is to it?

We can easily see the magnetic field at
work, but cannot detect it with our senses,
even though it is everywhere on our planet.
Logically then, it is in us also.

Similarly, our planet is in a perpetual
state of motion as it goes spinning through
space. Everything on the planet is a part of
this movement, even though it appears to us
that we are motionless. I am on the planet
and thus part of the energy that moves it.

72 / Ignited Minds

The energy that is the very essence of the
planet is in me.

Dyer argues that we can use this universal
energy to bring to us the objects of our
desire, because what we desire is also in us
and vice versa. It becomes a matter of
alignment and will that allows us to tap into
this force.

With thoughts like these on the points
where science and spiritualism converge, I
carved out opportunities to visit a few unique
places in a year’s time. Most of these places
were new to me and offered me the chance
to learn more about certain things I had
always been interested in but could not
explore — such as the world of saints and
seers. I saw a diverse range of activities being
carried out in the spiritual centres I visited.
At one, it was the value-based education
being provided that impressed me. At
another place, an attempt was being made
to integrate ancient science with modern
and Sanskrit documents were being studied
to gauge the progress made in earlier times.
I saw how a Sufi saint could become a

Learning from Saints and Seers / 73

magnet for people of different faiths. I had
an extended discussion on the fusion of
science and spirituality with a guru. I saw
how a punya atma can go beyond providing
religious strength to setting up hospitals and
universities, as also a scheme for supply of
water. There was one place which seeks to
alleviate the distress of patients who are
suffering from terminal cancer. Another
centre was exploring the link between
medical science and meditation.

My journey started on 13 June 2001,
when I met Pramukh Swami Maharaj of
Swaminarayan Sanstha at Ahmedabad. My
discussion with Swamyi on the fusion of
science and spirituality, and the role it could
play in national development, went on for
an hour. I am tempted to reproduce verbatim
the questions and answers with Swamyi.

Abdul Kalam (AK): Swamiji, India had the
vision, since 1857, to be an independent
nation. It took ninety years for us as a nation
to get freedom. During this time the whole
nation — the young and old, rich and poor,
educated and illiterate — was together in this

74 / Ignited Minds

aim. The goal was one, focussed, and well
understood — to acquire independence.
Swamyi, what is or what can be such a vision
now? Since the last fifty years, India has
been a developing country. It means
economically it is not strong, socially it is
not stable, in security aspects it is not self-
reliant, and that is why it is called a
developing country. Five hundred members
of TIFAC (Technology Information,
Forecasting and Assessment Council) have
given thought to what should be the next
vision for India. How do we transform a
developing country into a developed country
in the next twenty years? We have identified
five important areas to transform India —
education and healthcare, agriculture,
information and communication,
infrastructure and critical technology.
Swamyi, our problem is that we may present
this before the government, but how do we
create people with values to carry out such a
big vision? What we need is a cadre of value-
based cidzens. Otherwise resources will not
be deployed effectively, as we are witnessing.
For this, we need your suggestion, Swamiji.

Learning from Saints and Seers / 75

Swamiji: Along with these five, you needed a
sixth one — faith in God and developing
people through spirituality. This is very
important. We need to first generate a moral
and spiritual atmosphere. There has to be a
change in today’s climate of crime and
corruption. We need people who live by the
laws of the scriptures and bear faith in God.
For this we need to rekindle belief. This will
make things easier. Our problems will be
solved and we shall be able to achieve what
we dream.

AK.: Swamiji, for carrying forward such a big
vision of transforming India, should we first
create a spiritual tradition — make people
more spiritually inclined — and then embark
upon our vision, or focus on one of the
important areas like education or health?
Or should we integrate everything and begin
simultaneously?

Swamiji: We must move ahead

simultaneously. Work in the five fields that
your team has identified for the country’s
progress should be continued and this should
be concurrently incorporated. Our culture

76 / Ignited Minds

teaches us to learn both Para (spiritual) and
Apara (worldly) vidya (knowledge).
Therefore, together with knowledge of the
Apara, one should learn the Para as well. If
one learns this then Apara — worldly
knowledge — vidya will become founded on
dharma and spirituality. One must remember
that in God’s scheme of things, the whole
purpose behind creation is the idea that
every person — every soul — attains bliss.

AKj To realize this great dream, three types
of people are needed — punya atma (virtuous
people), punya neta (virtuous leaders) and
punya adhikari (virtuous officers). If the
population of all the three were to increase
in our society, then India would become the
jagadguru (world leader). How can their
numbers be increased?

Swamiji: Together with your academic and
scientific training, give spiritual training in
our schools and colleges. Nowadays, spiritual
education has been removed from the syllabi
of schools and colleges. That which should
be taught from infancy is being neglected
and we continue to provide only academic

Learning from Saints and Seers / 77

knowledge. But from the beginning, right
from birth, people should be taught values,
only then will people become virtuous.
Knowledge of our scriptures and great sadhus
and sages should be included in the syllabus.
The social, spiritual and political leaders
whom we hold in respect imbibed the correct
values from the very beginning. In the past,
such values were taught in our gurukul system
of education. Whether a prince or a pauper,
everyone studied together. Along with
academics, lessons such as satyam vada (speak
the truth), dharmam chara (tread the path
of righteousness), service towards others and
faith in God were taught.

AK: Swamiji, good citizens cannot be
produced by the laws of the government.
Can spiritual institutions do it? Can you ask
parents to guide their children to learn the
right values up to the age of fifteen? Similarly,
in all elementary schools, teachers should
also instil these in the students. But if we fail
to do this, then the government cannot by
itself produce good, honest citizens. Is my
understanding correct, Swamiji?

78 / Ignited Minds

Swamiji: Yes, it’s true. It’s definitely true.
We’ve been saying from the very beginning
that values should be taught by parents at
home, teachers at school, and the guru in
later life.

AKj Swamiji, when I first launched a rocket
it failed, but strengthened by ISRO’s support,
my team combated the failure to achieve
success. This sentiment is also expressed by
Tiruvalluvar in the Thirukkural — when failure
occurs, challenge it with cheerful attitude.

Swamiji: When one possesses such noble
thoughts, patriotism is but natural. That’s
why we say, if spiritual knowledge is given
from the beginning, love and pride for one’s
country, society and dharma is a natural
result. However, spiritual values should form
the foundation of life.

AK: Spiritual strength is important. And
along with this, we must have economic
strength for strength is respected in the
world. A combination of both is necessary.
And to achieve both, there is only one
answer — sweat! Hard work is a must.

Learning from Saints and Seers / 79

Swamiji: We often say, ‘Human effort and
God’s grace.’ Even failure of the first rocket,
which you faced, was for your good, it
prodded you to make things better. God has
ultimately given you success.

AK: For India’s development, I wish to
establish a trust — Vision 2020 — with five like-
minded individuals. I seek your blessings for
this.

Swamiji: God’s blessings are already upon
you. I shall pray that your ideas are
successfully realized. May India prosper both
spiritually and economically. What I wish to
say is that the stronger the spiritual wealth,
the stronger will become all other forms of
wealth. If you increase material wealth alone,
man will be lost in luxury and worldly
pleasures. Spirituality will guide him back,
help him rise above mundane pleasures. In
reality, we rarely provide what is really
needed. We provide everything else, clothing,
food, shelter, but with all this we should also
provide spiritual wealth. One should
remember that when man gains extra money
and power, more than what is necessary.

80 / Ignited Minds

then he invites ruin, restlessness and
destruction. He loses control.

It’s good that you’ve come here today. It’s
given us much joy. The rishis (sages) of the
past have also given us science. You, too, are
a rishi.

*

In September 2001, I visited the Dargah
Sharif of Sufi mystic Khwaja Moinuddin
Chishti, better known as Gharib Nawaz, at
Ajmer. Here, in ad 1256, at the age of 114,
the saint entered his cell to pray in seclusion
for six days, at the end of which he passed
away. As I went round the dargah, I was
struck by the beauty of all that the shrine
symbolized. Eight hundred years ago, a saint
travelled from Arabia, passing through many
lands before reaching Ajmer. Here he
brought together different communities who
lived peacefully around his shrine.

The teachings and message of Khwaja
Gharib Nawaz have been of an exceptional
character. His simple teachings penetrated
even a stony heart; his affectionate look

Learning from Saints and Seers / 81

could silence the fiercest enemy; he brought
the message of universal love and peace.
Chishti sufis who succeeded him continued
the tradition set by him. They were truly the
pioneers in national integration.

The teachings of Khwaja Sahib have been
recorded in several books. For him, one who
possesses the magnanimity of the river, the
kindness of the sun and humility of the
earth is closest to God. Khwaja Sahib said
that the noblest character is possessed by
one who is graceful in poverty, content in
hunger, cheerful in grief and friendly in
hostility. According to this great saint, the
surest way to avoid the punishment of hell is
to feed the hungry, to redress the aggrieved
and to help the distressed. Khwaja Sahib
gave a role model of Aarif, one who considers
death as his friend, comfort as his enemy
and always remembers God. An Aarif fears,
respects and possesses shyness.

Why can’t we conduct ourselves as Aarifs?
I wondered. Before any action, ask yourself
this question: ‘Is what I am about to say or
do going to bring me peace?’ As Dyer says,

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if the answer is yes, proceed wholeheartedly
with it and you will be allowing yourself the
wisdom of your highest self. If the answer is
no, be cautious of your ego that is at work.
The ego promotes turmoil because it
separates you from everyone, including God.
At Khwaja Sahib’s shrine I could listen to
the voice that only wants you to be at peace
with yourself.

Ajmer is located in the picturesque
Aravalli range. Besides the Dargah Sharif it
has the holy lake of Pushkar. These two holy
places symbolize, as it were, the abiding
amity between the two major religions of
India. Ajmer presents a model of a peaceful
society. I performed namaz as a thanksgiving
for this amity. The scene reminded me of
the similar location of two other religious
centres, Nagore Dargah and Velankanni
church.

On 2 October 2001 I visited
Amritanandamayee’s Amrita Institute of
Computer Technology near Kollam in Kerala
with Prof. N. Balakrishnan of the IISc. and
G. Madhavan Nair, Director, VSSC. I

Learning from Saints and Seers / 83

addressed about 1,000 young students,
teachers, brahmacharis and swamis. The topic
I selected was ‘Multi Dimensions of
Knowledge Products.’ I found in the students
a high level of receptivity to new ideas. In
their questions, they showed interest not
only in technological development but also
in adhering to an honest way of life. After
the interaction with the students I met
Amma. It was a remarkable experience.

How can one take oneself closer to God
was the message she was giving to the people.
I wondered at the extraordinary effort that
had gone into setting up an institution which
could build hospitals, set up management
schools of high calibre, and provide housing
schemes for the economically weaker sections
of society. My query led to a discussion with
Amma and the other sanyasis. Though the
institution imparts education in all major
disciplines of knowledge and creates
engineers, medical doctors, management
graduates and science research scholars, they
are still circumscribed by their individual
specialization. Amma suddenly said.

84 / Ignited Minds

‘Something is missing. How to connect?’

What she was referring to was bringing
together these capabilities for a joint purpose.

I was at Christ College, Rajkot, getting
ready for a function there when there was a
call from Swami Nikhileswarananda of the
Ramakrishna Mission. Swamiji requested me
to visit his ashram and I had to agree. After
the function at Christ College, I rushed to
the ashram. It was the time for the evening
bhajan and so touched was I by the singers’
serene invocation that I sat down with them
for nearly fifteen minutes, lost in meditation.
Here too I felt the same vibrations as I did
while meditating at Swami Vivekanand Hall,
Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma
Gandhi.

On 6 October 2001, the Sankaracharyas
of Ranchi organized a very important
gathering of farmers from hundreds of
villages to launch integrated development
through the concept of knowledge-
empowered rural development. I was invited
to participate. Panchayat heads belonging to
various political parties converged at Ranchi

Learning from Saints and Seers / 85

to discuss development under a project
designed to Provide Urban facilities in Rural
Areas (PURA). I was struck by the fact that
spiritual leaders were helping focus
programmes for development.

When the meeting ended both Acharyas
called me for a private meeting. Swami
Jayendra Saraswathigal inquired about the
crashlanding of the helicopter and blessed
me. Swami Vijayendra Saraswathigal conveyed
to me that the maulvi of a very famous 300-
year-old mosque was waiting in the mutt to
take me to the mosque. Swamiji suggested
that I visit the mosque.

His message brought to my mind an
incident in Paramacharya’s time, a decade
ago, as told by the former President, R.
Venkataraman. Mr Venkataraman showed
me the mosque very close to the Ranchi
mutt. A few years ago, the mosque jamayath
(authorities) and the district authorities
decided to relocate the mosque to some
other suitable place as its present location
was inconvenient both for the mutt and
mosque. As a large number of people visit

86 / Ignited Minds

the historic mosque and there are huge
gatherings at the mutt too, the traffic was
becoming difficult to manage. The mutt
would rebuild the mosque in its new location.
Somehow this message reached the
Paramacharya. He vehemently opposed the
whole idea. He said, ‘In fact, when at
4.30 a.m. the call for namaz comes from the
mosque, it acts as a wake-up call for my
divine duties.’ And also for many other
reasons he was opposed to the relocation of
the mosque. He made this clear to both the
district authorities and the mutt. The
Paramacharya went into mouna viradham —
deep silence. Finally, shifting of the mosque
was stopped.

I later went to the mosque and met the
maulvi and kazi and offered namaz there.
About fifty students were learning the Holy
Quran. I sat with them and asked them to
recite the Alhamthu, the sura that embodies
the Quran. In Kanchi, I was privileged to see
vedic recitation and recitations from the
Quran proceeding side by side. Therein lies
the greatness and essence of India. Can

Learning from Saints and Seers / 87

Kanchi’s integrated approach towards
learning become a beacon for us and later
for the world?

During the discussion in the Sankara
College of Engineering among Sanskrit
professors, students and teachers, presided
over by the Sankaracharyas, it became clear
that ancient Sanskrit literature is a storehouse
of scientific principles and methodology,
even to the extent of there being texts about
how to build a viman (aeroplane). Subjects
like physics, chemistry, medicine and
ayurveda are, of course, well documented.
There was a consensus that the work of our
ancient scholars and scientists should be
thoroughly examined and where possible
integrated with modern science.

An invitation came from the Sri Sathya
Sai Institute of Higher Learning at Whitefield
for Prof. Rama Rao and me. The day began
with a morning prayer at 7.00 a.m. followed
by a discourse rendered in poetic form. Its
subject was how to remove hatred from our
hearts — by sacrificing the ego and
substituting love in its place. When Sai Baba

88 / Ignited Minds

moved amidst the devotees, the effect of his
healing presence on people’s pain,
difficulties and problems was immediately
apparent.

In January 2002, I attended a conference
on Medical Technology and Healthcare at
Whitefield. All through the conference,
which began at 9.30 in the morning and
ended at 8 in the evening, Sri Sathya Sai
Baba was present. He blessed every
presentation and when I finished my five-
minute presentation on how technology
would transform human life — an example
being the cardiac stent that we had made —
he got up and blessed me, to the cheers of
participants.

I was impressed to see his interest in the
conference, as I had been impressed by the
speciality hospital at Whitefield that I had
visited earlier. He had been told that Chennai
was facing a water problem. So, when he
announced that he would ensure water
flowed to the city, it was more heartening
still.

On 3 February 2002, I had an

Learning from Saints and Seers / 89

extraordinary spiritual experience when I
visited the Brahma Kumari Spiritual Academy
at Mount Abu. The deity of the Brahma
Kumaris, Shiva Baba, descended on one of
the disciples, Dhadhi Gurzar. Before our
eyes, her personality changed. Her face
became radiant, her voice became deeper as
she talked about the four treasures:
Knowledge, Yoga, Virtue and Service. We —
I, Sivathanu Pillai, and Selvamurthy — were
lucky to be called by her to the dais and
blessed. As she blessed us she said, ‘Bharat
will become the most beautiful land on
earth.’

My interaction with the Coronary Artery
Disease (CAD) patients, popularly known as
‘Dilwalas’, at the Global Hospital and
Research Centre of the Brahma Kumari
Academy headed by Dr Pratap Midha, clearly
illustrated that the mind-body interaction, a
subject I touched upon at the end of the
previous chapter, is vital for health which is
defined as physical, mental and spiritual
well-being. My friend Dr W. Selvamurthy
postulated through years of clinical work

90 / Ignited Minds

that yoga and meditation significantly
alleviate pain. The experiments, which I had
the opportunity of initiating through the
Defence Institute of Physiology & Allied
Sciences (DIPAS) when I was Scientific
Adviser to Defence Minister, include a new
approach towards healing through mind-
body synchrony. Dr Pratap Midha and Dr
Selvamurthy joined together and formulated
a unique treatment for cardiac patients.
When I reviewed this project, two years back,
about sixty patients reported an improved
sense of well-being. Now, it has yielded
excellent results with 400 patients reporting
progress. The treatment included lifestyle
intervention with Raja Yoga meditation for
stress management, low-fat high-fibre diet
for reducing risk of hyper lipidemia and
regular aerobic exercise or walking to
improve the cardio-vascular and metabolic
efficiency I hope that medical treatment
will begin to lay greater emphasis on healing
not only the body but also the mind.

During my previous visit to the Brahma

Learning from Saints and Seers / 91

Kumari Spiritual Academy at Mount Abu,
Sister Usha had given me the task of
interacting in a group discussion with thirty
Brahma Kumaris who had recently joined. It
was a pleasure to look at their bright faces
bubbling with enthusiasm. In a post-dinner
session when I asked them in turn about
their mission in life, the reply was unanimous:
to serve the people through spiritual
endeavour. Dr Selvamurthy and I were moved
to recite a Tamil poem composed 1,000
years ago by Awaiyar which in translation
reads thus:

It is rare to be born as a human being
It is still more rare to be bom without any
deformity

Even if you are born without any deformity
It is rare to acquire knowledge and education
Even if one could acquire knowledge and
education

It is still rare to do offerings and tapas
But for one who does offerings and tapas
The doors of heaven open to greet him.

92 / Ignited Minds

I then narrated to the Brahma Kumaris how
the Bishop at Thumba allowed transfer of
the land belonging to the church for setting
up a space research station (as given in
chapter three of this book). What is the
conclusion to be drawn from this story? I
asked them. The Brahma Kumaris responded
by saying that our civilization is rich, which
leads to forward thinking, harmony and
better understanding. With such a great
nation and people, why are there communal
clashes? I think that when a nation doesn’t
have a vision, small minds take over its
affairs.

The unification of science and spirituality
will be essential to take the benefit of science
and technology to mankind. In 1911, Sri
Aurobindo wrote in the Song of Humanity: ‘A
time will come when the Indian mind will
shake off the darkness that has fallen upon
it, cease to think or hold opinions at second
and third hand and reassert its right to
judge and enquire with perfect freedom into
the meaning of its own culture and tradition.’

Learning from Saints and Seers / 93

That is the future we need to work
towards as we shake off the shackles of
poverty.

There was one message common to all
the places I visited — there is a higher self
within you that transcends the limitations of
the physical world. I felt the presence of this
higher self in my father.

I have learned over the years to maintain
my equanimity regardless of circumstances.
I have faced failures and disappointments
without feeling defeated. I wish to live the
rest of my life at peace with myself and
others. I have no wish to engage in quarrels
with others.

This is the challenge before the
individual as he tries to transcend his
limitations.

At this point, I recall a sura from the
Holy Quran.

O Prophet, you proclaim to the people
Who do not accept your preaching,

‘What you worship, I do not worship.

And what I worship, you do not worship;

94 / Ignited Minds

The result of your actions belongs to you.
The result of my actions belongs to me.’

What we are, what we believe in, is ours
alone. Once we have trust in the wisdom
that created us, we can develop a faith that
sustains us through our lives.

Indians are well versed with the concept
of higher self, or perhaps highest self is the
preferable term. For generations our
ancestors lived their lives by this concept.
But for many today, rooted perhaps too
deeply in the material world, this idea sounds
lofty and spiritual. For me it has been a
cornerstone of the way I live.

On one occasion, as I was leaving for
Bangalore, I spoke to a friend of mine and
told him that I would be talking to young
people and whether he had any suggestions.
He did not offer any suggestions as such,
but offered me these nuggets of wisdom.

‘When you speak, speak the truth;
perform when you promise; discharge your
trust . . . withhold your hands from striking.

Learning from Saints and Seers / 95

and from taking that which is unlawful and
bad . . .

‘What actions are most excellent? To
gladden the heart of a human being, to feed
the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten
the sorrow of the sorrowful and to remove
the wrongs of the injured . . .

‘All God’s creatures are His fapciily; and
he is the most beloved of God who tries to
do most good to God’s creatures.’

These are the sayings of Prophet
Mohammad. My friend who told me this is
a greatgrandson of a Deekshidar of Tamil
Nadu and a Ganapaathigal (vedic scholar).
He is none other than Y.S. Rajan.

Such an outlook is possible only in our
country. Let us remember the Rig Veda:
‘Aano bhadrah kratavo yenthu vishwathaha.’
That is, ‘Let noble thoughts come to us
from every side.’

I recall an event that took place in my
family. My grandfather and greatgrandfather
were called Ambalakarar — noble leaders —
in Rameswaram. This island has the privilege

96 / Ignited Minds

of being known as the place where Lord
Rama is said to have launched his campaign
against Ravana. The island celebrates this
event by organizing his marriage with Sita —
his divine counterpart. My greatgrandfather
would provide a floating platform for the
occasion to carry the decorated vigraha
through the holy tank named Ramar
Theertham. The tank is very deep. The
floating platform with vigraha, bedecked with
beautiful gold ornaments, of Lord Rama is
taken round a small mandapa at the centre
of the tank. Then and now, all of
Rameswaram assembles for the occasion.

One year, my greatgrandfather was
witnessing the event when a mishap took
place. The vigraha toppled down and sank.
Without any hesitation or prompting, he
jumped into the tank and recovered the
vigraha as the entire town watched. The
temple priests instituted muthal mariathai
(first honour) for our family. There was a
special prayer in the Rameswaram mosque
to thank the Almighty for the recovery of

Learning from Saints and Seers / 97

the vigraha and to bring God’s grace on our
family.

I have always considered this incident as
a shining example of human brotherhood
and harmony, specially significant in today’s
context. Could not each of us help nurture
such a brotherhood wherever we happen to
be?

On 15 August 1947, my high school
teacher. Rev. lyyadurai Solomon, took me to
hear the midnight freedom speech of Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru. We were all moved to
hear him say that we were free. Banner
headlines announced the momentous event
in next day’s newspapers. But alongside the
report of Panditji’s speech in the Tamil
newspaper I read, was another news item,
one that has been embedded in my memory.
It was about how Mahatma Gandhi was
walking barefoot in Noakhali, to help assuage
the pain of the riot-affected families there.
Normally, as Father of the Nation, Mahatma
Gandhi should have been on the ramparts
of Red Fort, the first one to unfurl the

98 / Ignited Minds

national flag. Instead, he was at Noakhali.
Such was the Mahatma’s greatness, and what
an everlasting impact it left on the mind of
a schoolboy!

Having sensed the pulse of the young,
and armed with the wisdom of the elders, I
thought deeply about my own experiences
with technology projects where people
worked on problems that were new and
demanded efforts that were unprecedented.
What really makes one succeed in the face
of difficult tasks? We have talked about the
importance of having a dream and of
commitment, of hard work and having the
spiritual strength to persevere through
difficulties and failures. Is there anything
missing in the cycle of creation?

SUMMARY

Our spiritual wisdom has been our strength. We
survived as a nation the onslaughts of invaders
and the numbing effects of colonialism. We have
also learnt to adjust to the rifts and divisions in
our own society. But in the process of all the

Learning from Saints and Seers / 99

adjustment, we also lowered our aims and
expectations. We must regain our broad outlook
and draw upon our heritage and wisdom to enrich
our lives. The fact that we advance technologically
does not preclude spiritual development. We need
to home-grow our own model of development
based on our inherent strengths.

5

PATRIOTISM BEYOND POLITICS
AND RELIGION

I do not care for Liberation, I would rather go to
a hundred thousand hells, J doing good to others
(silently) Like the spring', this is my religion.

— Swami Vivekananda

W^alking has been an essential part of my
life. "Wherever I go I make it a point to walk
five kilometres in the morning. I am
particularly attached to seeing the beauty of
the sunrise, the light that precedes its arrival
and my ears are tuned to the songs that

Patriotism beyond Politics and Religion / 101

birds sing to welcome the dawning of a new
day on this planet. Each time I experience
these phenomena — the cool breeze, the
singing of the birds and the arrival of the
sun — I am filled with awe at how nature
brings together all the elements that go into
making this moment possible and feel
thankful to God.

I have been fortunate in that my work
has taken me to very many beautiful places
that opened up my mind to the cosmic
reality. One such was Chandipur in Orissa.

From Kolkata, the distance to Balasore is
around 234 km and Chandipur is 16 km
from the town. The name means the abode
of the Goddess Chandi or Durga. The beach
here is surely among the finest in India. At
low tide the water recedes three kilometres
as the tides follow their rhythmic cycle.

The lonely beach, the whispering of
tamarisk trees and the cool breeze create a
feeling of extraordinary calm. I used to wadEk
on the beach to the mouth of the rover
Suwarnarekha. The river’s vast spread >ana
the bewitching, ceaseless ripples o&sscsr water

102 / Ignited Minds

were hypnotic in their effect. It was a feeling
as close to bliss as I have ever felt.

We started test-firing our missiles from
the Sriharikota Range of ISRO but needed
our own missile test range. The Interim Test
Range (ITR) was established in 1989 as a
dedicated range for launching missiles,
rockets and flight test vehicles. A number of
missiles of different class including the multi-
role Trishul, multi-target capable Akash, the
anti-tank Nag missile, the surface-to-surface
missile Prithvi, and the long-range technology
demonstrator Agni have been test-fired from
the ITR. BrahMos, the Indo-Russian joint
venture set up to develop supersonic cruise
missiles has also been tested at this range.
The ITR has also supported a number of
other missions such as testing of the multi-
barrel rocket launcher Pinaka and the
pilotless aircraft Lakshya.

The ITR has also been made capable for
testing airborne weapons and systems with
the help of sophisticated instrumentation.
Thrust areas include tracking long-range
missiles, air defence missile systems, weapons

Patriotism beyond Politics and Religion / 103

systems delivered by the Light Combat
Aircraft (LGA), multi-target weapon systems
and high-acceleration manoeuvrable missiles.

The ITR extends 17 km along the
seacoast where a number of tracking
instruments have been deployed along the
flight path of the test vehicles. Some of the
significant test facilities at the ITR are a
mobile and fixed electro-optical tracking
system, mobile S-band tracking radar, fixed
C-band tracking radar, fixed and mobile
telemetry system, range computer, photo
processing system, meteorological system and
range safety systems. An expert system has
been developed for aiding safety decisions
during launch. The ITR is slowly but surely
growing into a world-class range.

It was a hot and humid midnight
sometime in July 1995. We were going
through the results of the fourth consecutive
successful flight of Prithvi. People’s faces
were lit up with success. There was a mood
of celebration. More than thirty of us,
representing 1,200 hard-working team
members, were pondering over the

104 / Ignited Minds

question — what next? Lt. Gen. Ramesh
Khosla, Director General Artillery, suggested
that the Army needed a flight test on a land
range with the accuracy of impact at the
final destination within 150 meters. This is
called Circular Error Probability (CEP) in
technical terms.

We opened a geographical map of India.
There were five tiny dots at a distance of 70
to 80 km from ITR. These are the Wheeler
Islands. We could not go to the Rajasthan
desert for obvious reasons. The Andaman
and Nicobar Islands are far away. At 2.00
a.m. we decided that Wheeler Islands were
the right choice for the missile impact test.
Now the search for a suitable island started.
A helicopter was used to survey the area.
Someone proposed asking the fishermen to
guide us to the islands.

My two colleagues, Saraswat and Salwan,
drove to a place called Dhamra. From
Dhamra, they hired a boat for the day for
Rs. 250. By the time they reached the island
it was almost dark. Salwan had carried fruits
for eating during the journey but these

Patriotism beyond Politics and Religion / 105

eventually became their dinner. There was
no option but to stay on the island. It was a
beautiful night but my friends, neither
familiar with the sea nor used to being
marooned on a deserted island, spent it
rather fearfully — though they won’t confess
it and claim instead that they enjoyed it.
Early the next morning, they began their
survey of the island, which is about 3 km
long and 800 metres wide. To their surprise,
they saw on the eastern side of the island a
Bangladesh flag flying atop a tree with huts
nearby. The island was probably frequented
by fishermen from the neighbouring country.
My friends quickly removed the flag.

Things moved fast thereafter. The district
authorities, including forest and environment
officers, visited the island. Soon after, I got
the Defence Minister’s clearance to acquire
the islands. The formalities were gone
through with the Orissa government and
the forest department to transfer the land. I
personally met the concerned senior officials
to make the file move to the desk of the
Chief Minister. I also wrote a detailed letter

106 / Ignited Minds

to the Chief Minister explaining why we
needed the islands for DRDO work, specially
for use as a range for experimental purposes.

We had already done preparatory work
before moving the application. There were
typical questions about fishing activity in the
vicinity, the disturbance that might be caused
to turde migration and above all the cost of
the islands. Within ten days we got an
appointment from the Chief Minister. I had
heard a lot about Chief Minister Biju Patnaik,
particularly about his days as a pilot and his
friendship with President Sukarno. When I
entered the Chief Minister’s chambers with
Maj. Gen. K.N. Singh and Salwan, he
welcomed us warmly. To me he exclaimed,
‘Oh my friend Kalam, I have followed your
work from the time of Dr Sarabhai to now.
Whatever you ask, I will give.’ In my presence
he signed the Orissa government’s decision
to give to DRDO all the four islands and
said, ‘Kalam, I have given the approval you
asked for, I know you will use it well. Your
mission — the missile programme — is very
important to the country. Anything needed

Patriotism beyond Politics and Religion / 107

from Orissa will be yours.’ Then, suddenly,
he held me and gave me a very affectionate
hug. He said in a demanding tone, ‘Kalam,
you have to give me a promise and assurance
to the nation. The day India makes its own
ICBM I shall be stronger as an Indian.’
There was silence. I had to respond
immediately. Byu Patnaik was a man with a
tremendous personality and deeply
impressive as a leader too, one whose love
for the nation transcended politics. I looked
straight into his eyes and said, ‘Sir, we will
work for your mission. I will discuss your
thought in Delhi.’

Some forty years ago, the daredevil Biju
Patnaik piloted his Kalinga Airways plane
into Jakarta to find Indonesian President
Sukarno in the first flush of fatherhood.
Sukarno’s wife had delivered a baby, and the
family was searching for a name for the
newborn girl when Bijuda called on them.

Sukarno explained the problem on hand
to the visitor from India. Biju Patnaik cast
his mind back to the clouds that had greeted
the baby’s arrival and suggested the Sanskrit

108 / Ignited Minds

equivalent for them. Sukarno’s daughter was
promptly christened Megawati and thus the
daughter of the leader of the world’s largest
Muslim nation got a Hindu name. For great
men, religion is a way of making friends;
small people make religion a fighting tool.

Many years later, after several political
upheavals, Megawati Sukarnoputri would
become first the Vice President and then
the President of Indonesia.

Lament, my friend, at the passing away
of a generation of politicians with a voice,
vision and reach that went far beyond our
borders. Lament at our State-sponsored,
abnormal and paranoid fixation with a
particular country that has blinded us to the
rest of the world, including the Third World,
which we used to head not so long ago. And
weep softly at what we have reduced ourselves
to in the comity of nations. For a large
country with a billion people, a country with
a thriving industry and large pool of scientific
talent, a country, moreover, that is a nuclear
power, India does not count for as much as
it should. In terms of our influence in world

Patriotism beyond Politics and Religion / 109

affairs, probably no other country is so far
below its potential as we are.

After Pokhran II, the West speaks about
India and Pakistan in the same breath. Is it
not in our national interest to demonstrate
to the world that we can think of a world
beyond Pakistan, that we are a qualitatively
better, more mature and secular country
with a greater commitment to the values of
democracy and freedom?

During March 2002, I was teaching about
200 final year students of engineering at
Anna University and I gave a series of ten
lectures on ‘Technology and Its Dimensions’.
On the final day of the interaction, there
was a discussion on Dual Use Technologies.
One of the students raised a question.

‘Sir, I have recently come across Dr
Amartya Sen’s statement that the nuclear
weapon test conducted in May 1998 by India
was ill conceived. Dr Amartya Sen is a great
economist and a Nobel laureate who is much
respected for his ideas on development. A
comment from such a personality cannot be
ignored. What is your view on his comments? ’

110 / Ignited Minds

‘I acknowledge the greatness of Dr
Amartya Sen in the field of economic
development and admire his suggestions,
such as that thrust should be given to primary
education,’ I said. ‘At the same time, it
seemed to me that Dr Sen looked at India
from a Western perspective. In his view,
India should have a friendly relationship
with all countries to enhance its economic
prosperity. I agree, but we must also bear in
mind India’s experience in the past. Pandit
Nehru spoke in the United Nations against
nuclear proliferation and advocated zero
nuclear weapons in all the countries. We
know the result. One should note that there
are more than 10,000 nuclear warheads on
American soil, another 10,000 nuclear
warheads are on Russian soil and there are
a number of them in the UK, China, France,
Pakistan and some other countries. The
START II and the recent agreements between
the USA and Russia only talk about reducing
the number of nuclear warheads to 2,000
each and even these agreements are limping.
Nobody takes the reduction of warheads in

Patriotism beyond Politics and Religion /111

serious terms. There should be a movement
by those who are against the May 1998 test
in America and Russia or other Western
countries to achieve zero nuclear weapons
status. It is essential to remember that two of
our neighbouring countries are armed with
nuclear weapons and missiles. Can India be
a silent spectator?’

India has been invaded in the last 3,000
years by a succession of conquerors,
including the British, French, Dutch and
Portuguese, either to enlarge their territory
or to spread a religion or to steal the wealth
of our country. Why is it India never invaded
other countries (with a few exceptions in
the Tamil kingdoms) ? Is it because our kings
were not brave enough? The truth is Indians
were tolerant and never understood the true
implications of being ruled by others for
generations. But after the long independence
struggle when we got our freedom and the
country got united and has physical
boundaries, is it possible to remain with
economic prosperity as the only goal? The
only way to show the strength of the country

112 / Ignited Minds

is the might to defend it. Strength respects
strength and not weakness. Strength means
military might and economic prosperity. The
decisions and policies of the United Nations
Security Council are dictated by the countries
who possess nuclear weapons. How is it we
did not get a seat in the Security Council so
far but now other nations are recommending
that India be made a member?

In this regard, there is another incident
I would like to narrate. My friend. Admiral
L. Ramdas, who retired as the naval chief,
told me that he and a group of people
would hold a demonstration before
Parliament protesting against the nuclear
test carried out in May 1998. I replied to my
friend that he and his group should first
demonstrate in front of the White House
and the Kremlin against the large quantity
of nuclear warheads and ICBMs there.

I call to my people to rise to greatness.
It is a call to all Indians to rise to their
highest capabilities. What are the forces
which lead to the rise or fall of nations? And
what are the factors which go to make a

Patriotism beyond Politics and Religion / 113

nation strong? Three factors are invariably
found in a strong nation: a collective pride
in its achievements, unity and the ability for
combined action.

For a people and a nation to rise to the
highest, they must have a common memory
of great heroes and exploits, of great
adventures and triumphs in the past. If the
British rose to great heights it is because
they had great heroes to admire, men like
Lord Nelson, say, or the Duke of Wellington.
Japan represents a fine example of national
pride. The Japanese are proud of being one
people, having one culture, and because of
that they could transform a humiliating
military defeat into a triumphant economic
victory.

All nations which have risen to greatness
have been characterized by a sense of
mission. The Japanese have it in large
measure. So do the Germans. In the course
of three decades, Germany was twice all but
destroyed. And yet its people’s sense of
destiny never dimmed. From the ashes of
the Second World War, it has emerged a

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nation economically powerful and politically
assertive. If Germany can be a great nation,
why can’t India?

Unfortunately for India, historic forces
have not given a common memory to all
communities by taking them back to their
roots a millennium down the ages. Not
enough effort has been made in the last fifty
years to foster that memory.

I had the fortune of learning many of
our religions in the country from my
childhood, in high school and then onwards
for nearly seventy years. One aspect I realize
is that the central theme of any religion is
spiritual well-being. Indeed it should be
understood that the foundation of secularism
in India has to be derived from spirituality.

It is because our sense of mission has
weakened that we have ceased to be true to
our culture and ourselves. If we come to
look upon ourselves as a divided people with
no pride in our past and no faith in the
future, what else can we look forward to
except frustration, disappointment and
despair?

Patriotism beyond Politics and Religion / 115

In India, the core culture goes beyond
time. It precedes the arrival of Islam; it
precedes the arrival of Christianity. The early
Christians, like the Syrian Christians of
Kerala, have retained their Indianness with
admirable determination. Are they less
Christian because their married women wear
the mangalsutra or their menfolk wear the
dhoti in the Kerala style? Kerala’s Chief
Minister, A.K. Antony, is not a heretic
because he and his people are part of Kerala’s
culture. Being a Christian does not make
him an alien. On the contrary, it gives an
added dimension to his Indianness. A.R.
Rahman may be a Muslim but his voice
echoes in the soul of all Indians, of whatever
faith, when he sings Vande Mataram.

The greatest danger to our sense of
unity and our sense of purpose comes from
those ideologists who seek to divide the
people. The Indian Constitution bestows on
all the citizens total equality under its
protective umbrella. What is now cause for
concern is the trend towards putting religious
form over religious sentiments. Why can’t

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we develop a cultural — not religious — context
for our heritage that serves to make Indians
of us all? The time has come for us to stop
differentiating. What we need today is a
vision for the nation which can bring unity.

It is when we accept India in all its
splendid glory that, with a shared past as a
base, we can look forward to a shared future
of peace and prosperity, of creation and
abundance. Our past is there with us forever.
It has to be nurtured in good faith, not
destroyed in exercises of political one-
upmanship.

The developed India will not be a nation
of cities. It will be a network of prosperous
villages empowered by telemedicine, tele-
education and e-commerce. The new India
will emerge out of the combination of
biotechnology, biosciences and agriculture
sciences and industrial development. The
political leaders would be working with the
zeal born of the knowledge that the nation
is bigger than individual interests and
political parties. This attitude will lead to
minimizing the rural— urban divide as

Patriotism beyond Politics and Religion / 117

progress takes place in the countryside and.
urbanites move to rural areas to absorb the
best of what nature can give in the form of
products and wealth.

The most important and urgent task
before our leadership is to get all the forces
for constructive change together and deploy
them in a mission mode. India is a country
of one billion people with numerous religions
and communities. It offers a wide spectrum
of ideologies, besides its geographic diversity.
This is our greatest strength. However,
fragmented thinking, compartmentalized
planning and isolated efforts are not yielding
results. The people have to come together
to create a harmonious India.

The second vision of the nation will
bring about a renaissance to the nation. The
task of casting a strong India is in the hands
of a visionary political leadership.

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SUMMARY

There are success stories among failures. There is
hope among chaos, promise among problems. We
are one billion people with multiple faiths and
ideologies. In the absence of a national vision
cracks at the seam keep surfacing and make us
vulnerable. There is a need to reinforce this seam
and amalgamate us into one national forum.

6

THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY

Wisdom is a weapon to ward off destruction;

It is an inner fortress which enemies cannot
destroy.

— Thirukkural 421 (200 bc)

^\ja.cient India was an advanced knowledge
society. Invasions and colonial rule destroyed
its institutions and robbed it of its core
competence. Its people have been
systematically degraded to lower levels of
existence. By the time the British left, our
youth had lowered their aims and were

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satisfied earning an ordinary livelihood. India
is essentially a land of knowledge and it
must rediscover itself in this aspect. Once
this rediscovery is done, it will not require
much struggle to achieve the quality of life,
strength and sovereignty of a developed
nation.

Knowledge has many forms and it is
available at many places. It is acquired
through education, information, intelligence
and experience. It is available in academic
institutions, with teachers, in libraries, in
research papers, seminar proceedings and
in various organizations and workplaces with
workers, managers, in drawings, in process
sheets and on the shop floors. Knowledge,
though closely linked to education, comes
equally from learning skills such as those
possessed by our artists, craftsmen, hakims,
vaidyas, philosophers and saints, as also our
housewives. Knowledge plays a very important
role in their performance and output too.
Our heritage and history, the rituals, epics
and traditions that form part of our
consciousness are also vast resources of

The Knowledge Society / 121

knowledge as are our libraries and
universities. There is an abundance of
unorthodox, earthy wisdom in our villages.
There are hidden treasures of knowledge in
our environment, in the oceans, bioreserves
and deserts, in the plant and animal life.
Every state in our country has a unique core
competence for a knowledge society.

Knowledge has always been the prime
mover of prosperity and power. The
acquisition of knowledge has therefore been
the thrust area throughout the world.
Additionally, in India, there has been a
culture of sharing it, not only through the
tradition of guru— shishya but also by its
spread to neighbouring countries through
travellers who came to Nalanda and other
universities drawn by their reputation as
centres of learning. India is endowed with
natural and competitive advantages as also
certain distinctive competencies. But these
are scattered in isolated pockets and the
awareness of these is inadequate. During the
last century the world has changed from
being an agricultural society, in which

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manual labour was the critical factor, to an
industrial society where the management of
technology, capital and labour provide the
competitive advantage. In the twenty-first
century, a new society is emerging where
knowledge is the primary production
resource instead of capital and labour.
Efficient utilization of this existing knowledge
base can create wealth for us in the form of
better health, education and other indicators
of progress. The ability to create and
maintain the knowledge infrastructure, to
enhance skills and increase productivity
through the exploitation of advances in
various fields will be the key factors in
deciding the prosperity of this society.
Whether a nation qualifies as a knowledge
society is judged by how effectively it deals
with knowledge creation and knowledge
deployment.

The knowledge society has two very
important components driven by societal
transformation and wealth generation. The
societal transformation is in respect of
education, healthcare, agriculture and

The Knowledge Society / 123

governance. These will lead to employment
generation, high productivity and rural
prosperity.

The task of wealth generation for the
nation has to be woven around national
competencies. The TIFAC task team has
identified core areas that will spearhead our
march towards becoming a knowledge
society. The areas are: information
technology, biotechnology, space technology,
weather forecasting, disaster management,
telemedicine and tele-education,
technologies utilizing traditional knowledge,
service sector and infotainment which is the
emerging area resulting from convergence
of information and entertainment. These
core technologies, fortunately, can be
interwoven by IT, a sector that took off only
due to the enterprising spirit of the young.

Thus there are multiple technologies
and appropriate management structures that
have to work together to generate a
knowledge society. With India carving a niche
for itself in information technology, the
country is uniquely placed to fully capitalize

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on the opportunity to quickly transform itself
into a knowledge society. The methodology
of wealth generation in these core areas and
to be able to meet an export target set at
$50 billion by the year 2008, especially
through the IT sector, is a subject that is
currently under discussion. Also being
discussed is how best to simultaneously
develop the capability to generate
information technology products worth $30
billion domestically to pump in for societal
transformation. I am glad that the Planning
Commission has taken a lead in generating
a roadmap for transforming India into a
knowledge society. I had the opportunity to
be the Chairman of the Steering Committee
set up for this task.

Evolving suitable policy and
administrative procedures, changes in
regulatory methods, identification of partners
and, most important, creation of young and
dynamic leaders are the components that
have to be put in place. In order to generate
wealth, which is the second component for
establishing a knowledge society, it is essential

The Knowledge Society / 125

that simultaneously a citizen-centric approach
to shaping of business policy, user-driven
technology generation and intensified
industry— lab— academia linkages have also to
be established.

Becoming a knowledge superpower by
the year 2010 is a very important mission for
the nation. While a knowledge society has a
two-dimensional objective of societal
transformation and wealth generation, a third
dimension emerges if India is to transform
itself into a knowledge superpower. This is
knowledge protection and it entails a
tremendous responsibility. It is very
important that our communication network
and information generators are protected
from electronic attacks through surveillance
and monitoring. There should be a focussed
approach to intellectual property rights and
related issues, and our ancient knowledge
and culture too are part of our resource
base and need to be protected as such.

In 1960, the agriculture sector employed
in part or in full 74 per cent of the
population. This came down to 62 per cent

126 / Ignited Minds

in 1992 and is expected to further fall to 50
per cent by 2010, though the demand of
agricultural products will double by then.
Higher productivity and better post-harvest
management will have to compensate for
the manpower reduction in the farming and
agricultural products sector.

There was a function in Chennai
organized by the Manipal Academy of Higher
Education who felicitated me along with the
father of the Green Revolution, C.
Subramaniam, and eminent lawyer N.A.
Palkhivala. After the function, I shared with
the ninety-year-old Subramaniam his vision
of a second green revolution. He told me
about his dream of setting up a national
agro foundation that would develop hybrid
seeds. His foundation would adopt small
and marginal farmers and provide them with
laboratory facilities for soil testing and access
to information on the weather and markets,
so that they could earn more through
enhanced yields and better prices for what
they produced. He aimed at bringing a
million farmers under the scheme.
Visionaries don’t age!

The Knowledge Society / 127

On another occasion, I was talking to
the students of Dr Mahalingam College of
Engineering and Technology at Pollachi,
near Coimbatore. Dr N. Mahalingam, a great
industrialist and academician, was sitting with
me. He was telling me how the country can
generate wealth through agro, chemical and
textile industries. Amazed by his
achievements in establishing industries and
educational institutions, I asked him, ‘Sir,
what is your next mission?’ As I said this, I
realized I was asking this question of a person
who was about eighty years old!

Dr Mahalingam replied, ‘I have analysed
the Tamil scripts used in the last Sangam,
which was 2500 years ago. Now I would like
to do research on the Tamil scripts used in

„the first Sangam which existed 5000 years

*

ago!’ It was another reminder to me that
visionaries don’t age.

In the case of industry, in 1960, 11 per
cent of the population was engaged in small-
scale and large-scale industries. The trend
continued with 11 per cent even in 1992.
However, it has to increase to 25 per cent in

128 / Ignited Minds

2010, bearing in mind the envisaged GDP
growth and increased competition as trade
restrictions are lifted under the WTO. The
pattern of employment will take a new shape.
Employment in the service or knowledge
industry has increased from 15 per cent in
1960 to 27 per cent in 1992. And it will
further increase to 50 per cent in view of
infrastructure maintenance areas and IT
sector and entertainment demands. This big
change will demand more trained personnel.
Our leaders in commerce and industry have
to prepare themselves for the transformation.

The fact that there is net migration from
the villages to cities shows the disparities in
living standards between the two. Ideally,
both rural and urban areas should be equally
attractive with no net migration either way.
Near zero net rural— urban migration is a
mark of development. How can we achieve
that happy balance? Rural development is
the only solution. This means providing rural
areas with the amenities that are currently
available only in cities. This would generate
employment on the same scale, and at the

The Knowledge Society / 129

same level, as in the cities in the rural areas
too. The other challenge would be to provide
these benefits at a small fraction of the
financial, social, cultural and ecological costs
the cities have to bear.

It is the expectation that this combination
of generating employment bearing in mind
environmental factors will make rural areas
as attractive as cities are, if not even more
attractive. Then, rural development may be
expected to prevent, if not actually reverse,
rural— urban migration. Hence, PURA aims
at integrated physical, electronic knowledge
and economic connectivity.

Experience in India has demonstrated
that the true handicap suffered by rural
areas is poor connectivity and little else.
Linking together a loop of villages by a ring
road and high-quality transport may rectify
that lacuna. Villages thus linked would also
provide a large enough market to support a
variety of services, which they would not be
able to do individually. The ring road and
the transport service together can convert
the linked villages immediately into a virtual

130 / Ignited Minds

town with a market of tens of thousands of
people. Such an area, which would also
possess state-of-the-art telecommunication
connectivity, will have a high probability of
attaining rapid growth by setting up a
virtuous cycle — more connected people
attracting more investment, and more
investment attracting even more people and
so on. Basically, this involves selecting a ring
of villages; connecting the villages on the
ring by establishing a high-quality transport
and telecommunication system; encouraging
reputed specialists to locate schools, hospitals
and other social services around the ring;
marketing this well-serviced space to attract
industry and commerce; and Internet
connectivity.

The model envisaged a habitat designed
to improve the quality of life in rural places
and made special suggestions to remove
urban congestion. Naturally our most
intractable urban problem is that of
congestion. Efficient supply of water and
effective waste disposal in every locality are
the paramount civic needs. There is a

The Knowledge Society / 131

minimum size below which a habitat is not
viable and not competitive with the existing
congested city. At the same time, the existing
congested city is not economical compared
to a new town once a minimum size of
expansion is crossed. As against a
conventional city that is, say, rectangular in
shape and measuring 10 km by 6 km, the
model considers an annular ring-shaped town
integrating minimum eight to ten villages of
the same 60 square km area, and the same
access distance of 1 km to transport arteries.
It needs only one transportation route of a
distance half that needed for the rectangular
shaped city, so frequency of transportation
will be doubled, halving waiting times. It has
zero number of junctions and needs only
one route as against eight needed for the
rectangular plan, so people will no longer
need to change from one line to another.
That saves transport time. Further, as all
traffic is concentrated on one single route,
high-efficiency mass transportation systems
become economical even for a comparatively
small population. This cuts costs substantially

132 / Ignited Minds

and is more convenient for the people.

Rural development is an essential need
for transforming India into a knowledge
superpower and high bandwidth rural
connectivity is the minimum requirement to
take education and healthcare to the rural
areas. Roadmaps for development of certain
areas have been generated and we have to
work on their realization.

There was an invitation by Mr Ratan
Tata, Chairman of the Tata group of
companies, to visit Telco at Pune, particularly
to witness the challenge of designing,
developing and manufacturing in the country
a fully Indian car, the Indica. The prospect
of the visit excited me. I thought I would get
an answer to some questions that I have
been asked on many occasions.

In 1980 when our team in ISRO
launched the satellite launch vehicle and
put Rohini into low-earth orbit, it was a big
event for the nation. In February 2000, when
I saw the first prototype fighter aircraft, the
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) , designed and
developed indigenously by the Aeronautical

The Knowledge Society / 133

Development Agency (ADA), taking to the
skies, again India was described as one of
the few countries to have acquired
capabilities in this sophisticated field. This is
the result of intensified networking between
R&D laboratories, industry, academic
institutions, users and the government.

Ratan Tata told me during the visit about
his vision of making India a global player in
the automobile sector. To implement his
vision, he decided to acquire car
manufacturing units from many countries
rather than set them up here at considerable
expense in terms of money and time. He
looked towards manufacturing five times the
present levels so that they could graduate to
being globally competitive. This is a beautiful
idea. I would add that Indian industrial
complexes should become consortia as a
first step and then envision becoming
multinational companies.

I and my team are invited by a number
of scientific, industrial, academic and
management institutions to share our
experiences in the pursuit of some of the

134 / Ignited Minds

national tasks I have mentioned. One
question that came up during my interaction
with students in Mumbai rings in my mind
even now.

‘Dr Kalam, we are very happy to see that
India can build and produce its own SLVs
and satellites, its own strategic missiles as
also nuclear weapons and power stations.
Can you tell me when India will design and
produce its own passenger car with an Indian
engine?’

When I was going through the design,
manufacture of component, sub-assembly,
integration and testing plants at Telco and
was told that the company is producing
about 60,000 cars annually, I was reminded
of this question. I was not only witnessing
the answer to it but also the technological
strength of our nation.

I had another opportunity to see a
concept take shape when Wipro invited me
to participate in a function to mark the
commissioning of a mobile heart care clinic
at Bangalore in October 2000. This was a
collaborative effort of Wipro-GE, Care

The Knowledge Society / 135

Foundation and Klenzaids. My friend Arun
Tiwari and I provided the system concept
for the project. It was a great experience for
me. After the inauguration I visited the
Wipro-GE Centre that builds specialized
medical equipment using advanced
technologies. As soon as I entered a young
man approached me and pinned a national
flag on my shirt. I shook his hand and asked
him, ‘Young man, will you stay and work for
this country?’

He replied, ‘Dr Kalam, I am in the
profession of working on medical gadgets
that are used for diagnosis. I am committed
to a profession in which one tries to remove
pain. I am needed here.’ I was delighted by
his answer. The centre itself struck me as a
positive collaboration between two nations
in the field of healthcare.

After the programme, Azim Premji, who
heads Wipro, accompanied me to the DRDO
guest house. On the way, he explained how
he was trying to assist elementary schools in
Karnataka so that more children could be
brought into the classroom. As we were

136 / Ignited Minds

having tea at the guest house, I asked him,
‘How has Wipro reached its high stature in
the business world?’

Premji gave a remarkable answer. ‘Dr
Kalam, I can say there are three aspects that
come to my mind. One: Sweat for
generations and the hard work of teams.
Two: In Wipro we work for the customer’s
delight. Three: A bit of luck. The third point
will not be of any consequence if the first
two aspects are not achieved. In Wipro, what
we have tried to do is wealth generation with
social concern.’

A common thread runs through the
experience of these institutions. It is that we
can deliver high-technology systems in spite
of control and denial regimes. The presence
of a competitive environment, networking
capabilities, wealth generation with social
concern and above all ignited minds of the
young: these are all very important
ingredients for building a knowledge society.

Maharishi Patanjali said in the Yogasutra,
‘When you are inspired by some great
purpose, some extraordinary project, all your

The Knowledge Society / 137

thoughts break their bounds: Your mind
transcends limitations, your consciousness
expands in every direction, and you find
yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world.
Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become
alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater
person by far than you ever dreamed yourself
to be.’

That is something addressed to all of us.
It is the people of a nation who make it
great. By their effort, the people in turn
become important citizens of their great
country. Ignited minds are the most powerful
resource on earth, and the one billion minds
of our nation are indeed a great power
waiting to be tapped.

SUMMARY

Ancient India was a knowledge society that
contributed a great deal to civilization. We need
to recover that status and become a knowledge
power. We must learn from our mistakes to
achieve a better standard of Life. A developed
India will supplant a spirit of defeat with the
spirit of victory.

GETTING THE FORCES TOGETHER

Determine that things can and shall be done ,
and then we shall find the way.

— Abraham Lincoln

A, our experience reveals, progress is rapid,
wherever there is an efficient administrative
set-up, a high level of education and
minimum political interference in
development activity. To me, development
is a security-centric phenomenon — from
poverty to food security, social security and
thereafter national security. In India. 2020,

Getting the Forces Together / 139

we have identified five areas where India has
a core competence for integrated action.

First among these five is agriculture and
food processing, where we have to set a
target of 360 million tonnes of food and
agricultural production. Agriculture and agro
food processing, particularly by way of value
addition, would bring prosperity to the rural
people and speed up economic growth.

The second area is power. A reliable
supply of electricity in all parts of the country
is a must.

The third area is education and
healthcare. Here we have found that
education and healthcare are interrelated.
For example, Kerala with high literacy and
better healthcare could bring down the rate
of population growth and improvement in
the quality of life in the state. Similarly, in
Tamil Nadu too we have seen a fall in the
birth rate that is linked to these factors.
Studies in Andhra Pradesh indicate a similar
trend. These trends need to be replicated in
states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where
levels of population growth remain high.

140 / Ignited Minds

The fourth area is information
technology. This is one of our core
competencies and holds the potential to
rapidly transform backward areas, besides
promoting education and generating wealth.

The fifth area is the strategic sector.
This area, fortunately, has witnessed growth
in areas like nuclear, space and defence
technology.

Action in these five areas, properly
integrated, would lead to food, economic,
social and national security. A strong
partnership between the research and
development institutions, universities,
industry and the community as a whole with
the government departments and agencies
will be essential to accomplish the vision.
The key to success lies in connectivity.

The development of education and
healthcare will yield the benefits of smaller
families and a more efficient workforce. It is
the key to employability and social
development. Improvements in the
agricultural sector, including that of food
processing, would lead to food security.

Getting the Forces Together / 141

employment opportunities and rapid
economic growth. Growth in the information
technology sector would assist rapid
economic growth as well as play an important
part in speeding up development. Electric
power provides energy security so crucial for
all sectors. The strategic sector has a direct
impact on industry, sustaining growth and
technological strength. For balanced
development, all the five areas are of
importance. The combined effect of these
five areas would result in GDP growth rising
from present 6 per cent to 10 per cent and
the lives of 300 to 400 million people who
are presently living below the poverty line
would be significantly improved.

I worked with TIFAC teams in three
areas — agriculture, advanced education and
rural connectivity. In doing so, I drew on my
earlier experiences in the mission areas of
sugar, fly ash and composites. With Prof.
S.K. Sinha, a renowned agricultural scientist,
TIFAC took up a project to enhance
agricultural productivity in central Bihar and
eastern India. Six villages in one and nine

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villages in the other region were selected
during the kharif season of 1998. The system
approach consisted of soil analysis, seed
choice, cultivation season, fertilizer selection
and training to the farmers. This intensive
collaboration of scientists and farmers
resulted in substantial increase in wheat
yields, which rose from 2.5 tonnes per
hectare to nearly 5 tonnes per hectare. When
I and Y.S. Raj an visited a few villages where
this system approach is used, we found the
farmers showing an interest in new issues
like equipment for faster harvesting, storage
facilities and marketing and banking systems.
It was clear that a small team, cutting across
various departments, could work wonders
even in a difficult region, achieving results
in a cost- and time-effective way.

Another experiment under way is
REACH (Relevance and Excellence in
ACHieving new heights in education
institutions). The purpose of this mission is
to establish 80 to 100 centres that follow
common academic programmes and share
the commitment to achieve excellence. In

Getting the Forces Together / 143

this endeavour, they work together by
interchange of faculty and joint research as
need be. As part of this. Centres of Relevance
and Excellence (CORE) have been
established in Patiala, Dibrugarh, Mumbai,
Thanjavur and Surat in the areas of agro
and industrial biotechnology, advanced
computing and information processing,
petroleum reservoir engineering, industrial
safety, environmental engineering and herbal
drugs. Our experience in the REACH
programme is that industries are willing to
participate in specialized areas of their
interest and they are also willing to invest
about 40 per cent of the total expenditure
in establishing CORE. In return, they will
benefit in terms of skilled manpower and
access to the results of research. The
willingness of industry to be partners in
technology development and education has
helped our confidence a great deal. It was
also satisfying to see Dr M.S. Vij ayaraghavan ,
Adviser in the office of the Principal Scientific
Adviser, blossom into a leader in the
integrated learning system. His innovation

144 / Ignited Minds

was to bring the commitment of industry to
the learning programme.

Another example relates to the
programme for rural connectivity evolved
under, the leadership of Prof. P.V. Indiresan,
who was formerly Director of IIT Madras. As
mentioned earlier, the fact that there is net
migration from villages to cities indicates
that they offer more opportunities, and the
only way to equalize the flow is to develop
the rural areas and bring life there on par
with that in the cities. Once employment
opportunities increase there, as do the
amenities available, as per the model created
by Prof. Indiresan, rural development may
be expected to prevent, if not actually reverse,
rural— urban migration. Presently, several
technologies exist to make this possible,
provided we use the connectivity approach
in various areas.

For the rural development programme
called PURA, we have introduced the
concept of dynamic connectivity of four types
called PEEK: Physics, Electronics, Economics
and Knowledge connectivities. One more

Getting the Forces Together / 145

important need is IT-driven telemedicine.

In May last year, I visited the CARE
Hospital in Hyderabad. The whole place
had been geared up for a telemedicine trial
and the hall was full of doctors,
communication engineers, computer
scientists and software experts. Patients were
to be tested and advised through
telemedicine. The patients would undergo
electrocardiography and tests for liver
functioning. The novel thing was that the
patients were in a distant place, but the
diagnosis would be done in Hyderabad.

The doctors and the patients interacted
via satellite. The ECG data was exchanged
with high-resolution image transfer and
clinical information provided in real time. I
could see the ultrasound images of liver and
heart functioning of the patients coming
from a faraway hospital as specialists gave
their opinion. It looked like a very promising
way to offer healthcare services in places
that did not have the medical facilities of a
large city. Telemedicine could take advanced
medical technology to the rural villages and

146 / Ignited Minds

help link up primary health centres, area
hospitals, district hospitals and speciality
hospitals in the state capitals. To me it was
fascinating to see how it brought together
engineering and medical science to treat a
patient irrespective of distance, using
advances in satellite communication and
transmission of data.

It was in 1990, on a recommendation of
a friend of mine, that I visited Aravind Eye
Hospital at Madurai for an eye check-up and
treatment. Upon entering I saw an orderly
queue of patients awaiting their turn and
joined it. The queue was a long one but it
was moving fast and within half an hour I
was being examined by Dr G. Natchiar and
recommended treatment. That done, I went
to deposit the money for admission to the
hospital. However, I had trouble paying at
the counter as the girl there refused to
accept a cheque, and I had no cash. I went
to Dr Natchiar again and told her my
predicament. She considered briefly and
agreed to admit me. I was treated and
discharged after a few days. A few days later.

Getting the Forces Together / 147

I received a letter from Dr Natchiar
apologizing for not having recognized me.
She came to know only when my security
personnel enquired about me at the hospital
after my discharge.

I have visited the hospital often after
that first visit. Dr G. Venkataswamy, brother
of Dr Natchiar, is a good friend, and I make
it a point to meet him every time I visit
Madurai. Let me tell you a little more about
Dr Venkataswamy and his commitment to
his work. The Aravind Eye Hospital handled
more than 1.3 million outpatient visits in
2001. It conducted 190,000 surgeries and
held about 1,500 eye screening camps. No
wonder then that Dr Venkataswamy’ s hard
work has achieved recognition from WHO.
The hospital provides training to students
from leading universities abroad, including
Harvard and Johns Hopkins.

Dr Venkataswamy has become a superb
surgeon despite what to many in his position
would be a crippling handicap: his fingers
are twisted and frozen by arthritis that struck
him while he was a student in medical school.

148 / Ignited Minds

One day, as we were talking he narrated
this incident to me. An industrialist from
Delhi came to Dr Venkataswamy and said, ‘I
need to build a hospital, and I am very
much impressed with your hospital. Will you
come and start a hospital in Delhi for me?’

Dr Venkataswamy asked him ‘What is it
that you want? You have the money; it is not
difficult for you to put up a hospital in
Delhi. Why don’t you just do it?’

The industrialist said, ‘No, I want a
hospital with the Aravind culture, people
are cordial here. They seem to respect people
more than money. There is a certain empathy
or compassion that seems to flow from them.’

My own experience at the hospital bore
this out. In the Aravind experience I see the
path that we need to take — a transformation
of life into a powerful instrument of right
action.

As with medicine, in the same way, we
shall see technology allied to different fields,
such as agriculture. But the overall purpose
has to be to help the people and meet their
needs.

Getting the Forces Together / 149

The vision of a developed India can be
realized only if we recognize that wealth
generation and wealth protection are two
sides of the same coin. A nation’s wealth
represents the sweat and hard work of its
people. The famous Tamil poet Andal, who
was regarded as one of the thirteen
Vaishnavite Alwars, in her famous work
Tiruppavai invokes the blessings of God to
provide in plenty Neengatha Selvam (stable
wealth) to the land. This is possible only
with an integrated approach towards
development. Granted planners look
individually at the activities of various
ministries and approve their action plans.
However, if these proposals were to be looked
at not in isolation but in the context of
multiple-use planning, the benefits would
multiply. Thus a technology, product or a
service resulting out of a particular
programme of a department/ministry should
be mandated to be available to other
departments/ministries at the stage of plan
approvals. This would provide the needed
integration at the planning stage. A similar

150 / Ignited Minds

approach needs to be put in place at other
downstream activities. An integrated mission
approach would permit interweaving of
measures to generate wealth with similar
steps for wealth protection. This is the
hallmark of a developed country and hence
the key to a developed India.

Another aspect of a developed country
is global competitiveness of its industry. It is
not only catering to the home market but
also aiming for a large market outside it.
Hence, its contribution to GDP is also very
large. This is a prerequisite for India too in
its development. Indian industry has to show
the same competitiveness and innovation so
that we can have our own multinationals.

Universal literacy and access to education
for all is another fundamental requirement
for a nation to be truly developed. Education
would result in the creation of a large base
of people who excel in various fields as well,
an invaluable resource for any country.

At present, however, there is a high
degree of asymmetry in the educational
system. While there are many who aspire to

Getting the Forces Together / 151

higher education, quality institutions to
impart this are few. This creates a large
mismatch of demand and supply in quality
manpower and is starkly evident in emerging
sunrise areas such as information technology,
biotechnology, environmental engineering
and manufacturing technology. The
economic liberalization taking place will only
intensify such demand in coming years.
Moreover higher education has also to be
made more relevant to industry and society,
an aspect in which it is inadequate at present.

One solution lies in fostering institutions
with expertise in selected subjects of
relevance to industry and society. Some of
the institutions which have excelled this far
could provide templates for the new ones.
Lasdy, the solution should be implemented
in a mission mode — only the mission
objectives should be paramount and all else
subservient to these objectives.

To develop to the desired level, industry
also needs to recognize the importance of
forward and backward linkages. While
linkages with bridging institutions such as

152 / Ignited Minds

think tanks, technical/consultancy services,
other firms involved in similar activities as
well as customers constitute the forward
linkage, partnership with universities, R&D
labs and technology-providing institutions
would form the backward linkage. Investment
in higher education is therefore crucial for
forming this backward linkage which would
serve as a springboard for Indian industry to
make the jump to becoming a global player.
We should not hesitate to take a fast decision
for establishing twenty more IITs and medical
institutions; whether they are promoted by
Indian or foreign groups does not matter as
long as the bottom line remains excellence.

On 15 October 2000 a website designed
for me by friends in the Ponn Group was
launched by the Infosys Chairman, N.R.
Narayana Murthy, in the presence of Prof.
N. Balakrishnan of the IISc. Some of my
friends asked me to post a few questions on
the website. My questions were three. First:
‘India has been a developing country for
more than half a century. What would you as
young boys and girls like to do to make it a

Getting the Forces Together / 153

developed India?’ The second question was,
‘When can I sing a song of India?’ and the
third, ‘Why do we love anything foreign in
spite of our capabilities in many fields,
whereas other countries celebrate their own
successes?’ My only stipulation was that the
answer should come from youth aged under
twenty.

More than a hundred answers and
suggestions were received from within the
country and abroad. Five of these answers
are relevant here.

One young man from Chandigarh
responded, ‘I will become a teacher (rather,
a professor of engineering) since I am good
in, as well as enjoy, teaching and I believe
that one of the best ways in which to serve
one’s nation is to be either a professor or a
soldier . . .’ A girl wrote from Pondichery, ‘A
single flower makes no garland. I will . . .
work for a garland leading to unity of minds,
as this is needed for transforming India into
a developed country.’ A twenty-year-old youth
from Goa responded, ‘Like an electron
ceaselessly moving in its orbit, I will work

154 / Ignited Minds

ceaselessly for my country, now onwards.’

With reference to the second point I
had raised, a young man from Atlanta wrote:
‘When India becomes capable of imposing
sanctions against any country, if they are
needed, then I will sing a song of India.’
What the young man meant was that
economic strength brings prosperity
accompanied by national strength. The fifth
answer is actually something that 30 per
cent of the respondents said: the need for
greater transparency in various facets of our
life. One crucial fact often overlooked is
that India has a population of 700 million
people below the age of thirty-five. These
are 700 million people with the inclination,
the ability and the enthusiasm to take the
nation to greatness. It is a very big force for
change indeed.

How can one ignite the young minds?
How can one attract and involve the young
in the task of nation building? Only a united
vision launched with renewed vigour will
bring the young force into action.

The subject of transparency and values

Getting the Forces Together / 155

brings to my mind Gandhiji. I happened to
meet in Delhi his granddaughter, Sumitra
Kulkami. I asked her, ‘Sumitraji, is there a
particular incident (in respect of honesty in
public life) that you always remember from
your grandfather’s life?’

She narrated to me this story. ‘Every day,
as you all would have heard, Mahatma
Gandhi had a prayer meeting at a fixed time
in the evening. After the prayers there would
be a collection of voluntary gifts for the
welfare of harijans and others. The devotees
of Gandhyi used to collect whatever was
given by the people of all sections and this
collection was counted by a few members
suggested by Gandhiji. The amount so
collected would be informed to Gandhyi
before dinner. The next day, a man from
the bank would come to collect the money
for deposit.

‘Once the man reported that there was
a shortage of few paise in the money handed
over to him and the amount informed to
Gandhyi the previous night. Gandhiji, on
hearing this, was so upset that he went on

156 / Ignited Minds

fast saying that this is a poor man’s donation
and we have no business to lose any of it.’
This episode is a unique example of
transparency in public life. Well, in the same
country we are witnessing the best and the
worst. We should all, particularly the young
generation, launch a movement for a
transparent India, just as our fathers fought
for our freedom. Transparency is a
cornerstone of development.

We have spoken about our progress since
independence. We are self-sufficient in
agriculture, lead the world in milk
production, have made enormous strides in
industrial development and so on. However,
we are still a developing country, one among
hundreds.

As such, it is important to understand
where we stand in terms of competitiveness.
A country’s competitiveness is defined as
‘the ability of a national economy to achieve
sustained high rates of economic growth’.
By that yardstick, according to the global
competitiveness report prepared by the
World Economic Forum, Singapore is first.

Getting the Forces Together / 157

the USA is second, Hong Kong is third,
Taiwan is fourth, Canada is fifth, the UK is
eighth, France twenty-third, Germany twenty-
fifth and India fifty-ninth.

What decides world competitiveness? It
is a combination of the progressiveness of
industry, the push for improved technology
and the status of governmental
deregularization. In terms of overall GDP
size, we are twelfth in the world; in terms of
per capita GDP we are fifty-seventh. Is this
status acceptable to us? Especially to the
young? I believe we should work for fourth
or fifth position in terms of GDP as well as
in respect of competitiveness. The target
year should be 2020 and we should aim for
a higher position afterwards. We have
discussed some of the strategies and tools
that can help us acquire the desired status.

To reiterate, a knowledge society can
form the foundation for such a vision. I am
glad that the Planning Commission has taken
a lead in generating a roadmap for us to
become such a society.

Where do we start? A number of new

158 / Ignited Minds

states have been created recently and these
provide an excellent opportunity to begin.
These states are poorly developed in spite of
their abundant natural resources. There is
widespread poverty though their people toil
and sweat. What really prevents us from
leaving the beaten track and venturing upon
a new path? The question is not who would
allow us but rather, who can stop us?

SUMMARY

We need to adapt the implementation of our
programmes and policies into a mission mode to
succeed. Progress cannot be swift and far-reaching
if the path is full of potholes. The abundant
national resources, human and material, remain to
be fully utilized.

8

BUILDING A NEW STATE

If I were to Look over the whole world to find
out the country most richly endowed with all the
wealth, power and beauty that nature can
bestow — in some parts a very paradise on earth —
I should point to India.

— F. Max Muller

I began this book with my travel to
Jharkhand, state in the month of September
2001. That was my fourth visit. The first two
visits brought me very close to the core
competence that this state possesses. I have

160 / Ignited Minds

been made patron of the Science and
Technology Council of this state. My purpose
on this visit was to work out a developmental
programme in the area of herbs, forest
products and other natural resources after
meeting with the Chief Minister, Babu Lai
Marandi, the Minister for Science and
Technology, Samaresh Singh, and concerned
officials. When I landed at Ranchi a group
of boys and girls greeted me with lots of
flowers. I was quite moved by their regard
for a simple scientist and their trust in his
dreams. I also met the Governor, Prabhat
Kumar, who told me about the hard-working
nature of the people and the forest wealth
of the state.

I recalled my earlier visit to the hill
region about 75 km away from Ranchi. Prof.
Basu was spearheading a programme
oriented towards children’s education and
health. As I met the people of the hill
region, young and old, in the village
complex, sitting like them on the ground,
one thing was clear to me: my presence here
was ordained. The components for

Building a New State / 161

development were all there — a fertile area
with good rainfall, tall trees and rich
vegetation, and people who were willing to
work hard. Their faces were lit up with
happiness so pure it is rarely seen any more,
in the cities at least. However their bodies
looked tired, showing signs of excess work
for a bare livelihood.

On this visit, we made some headway in
drawing up a viable plan for developing a
herbal drugs industry in the state. We
discussed in detail with various officials plans
for herbal farms and marketing the herbs to
drug producers. Our purpose was that the
drugs be manufactured within the state itself
so as to provide increased income to the
state from value addition as also boost
industry there. This was a new experiment
for the state and also for our mission, but
one that, given our experience in mission
management, offers tremendous scope for
Jharkhand to enter into three areas in a big
way — floriculture, herbs and herbal products.

After the meeting we started for Bokaro,
the steel city. The weather was cloudy and

162 / Ignited Minds

we wondered if the flight would be cancelled.
We reached Ranchi Airport at 2.30 in the
afternoon. A Pawan Hans helicopter had
been hired by the state government. I asked
the pilot whether we could fly in this weather.
All smiles, the pilot promised me a beautiful
flight and so the helicopter took off, with
myself and two other passengers.

I have often flown in a helicopter but
did find the weather particularly rough on
this occasion. However, the pilot was skilful
and I even congratulated him at one point
for keeping the flight smooth in spite of the
turbulence. It was a marvellous experience
as we flew over vast stretches of forest and
hills and streams. I was struck by the clean
environment. I wondered whether this
precious natural wealth could be conserved
from mindless destruction for short-term
business gains. With such thoughts in my
mind, I noticed that we had started
descending.

Suddenly I found the two pilots in
agitated discussion regarding the falling RPM
count. I became alert myself. Looking down.

Building a New State / 163

I could see a large number of cars and
people everywhere. Then the crash; the
helicopter hit the ground with a shattering
sound. Broken parts flew around us and I
could see fire engines rush towards us.

I simply got out of the helicopter that
had hit the ground as a dead weight.
Fortunately the engine failed while we were
quite close to the ground. Had it failed
moments earlier we could have perished
under the impact of the free fall. The pilots
were in a state of shock and looked at me
helplessly. I held their hands and thanked
them. I said, sometimes it happens with
flying machines and as pilots they have to
face it with courage.

I had to address the Ramakrishna
Vidyalaya students and they would all be
waiting, so we rushed to the school leaving
behind the crash and the shock. The school’s
principal, Krishnaswami, received me and
the students showered rose petals as I walked
to the dais through the auditorium. News of
the crash had preceded my arrival. The
children sat in pindrop silence.

164 / Ignited Minds

To ease the tension I told the young
gathering, ‘Friends, when I was travelling
from Ranchi to here, I admired God’s great
gift to the state. Under the ground and
above it, you have minerals in abundance.
The rich soil of the Jharkhand plains can
give bountiful crops. When I was flying over
the lovely forests and the valleys and hills
the thought of the wealth they hold in terms
of forest and herbal products was very
reassuring. On the ground I saw a fully
operational steel plant. Now what I see in
front of me and what the new state is famous
for is its industrious people. So this state has
all the wealth needed. It is a land waiting for
a transformation to occur. I see in the future,
villages that will be provided with urban
facilities and are self-contained in respect of
education, health and occupation. Today’s
incident will help define my remaining life’s
mission. I forgot my inconvenience during
the landing after seeing the state’s wealth.
How can you use this core competence to
become a developed state? For that you have
to work in the mission mode.’

Building a New State / 165

At the time these children would be
entering adult life and taking up careers,
they could be part of a national endeavour
to becoming a knowledge society. Their
contribution to the state itself could be
tremendous. That should be their goal: to
make Jharkhand great.

One thing that came to mind constantly
as I went round the exhibition put up by the
children and watched their performances —
including a marvellous peacock dance — was
how important it was to improve the
education system so that it did not stifle
these powerhouses of creativity. I felt this is
one area I must work upon with the state
and the Centre.

I continued with my other engagements
after the function at the Ramakrishna school.
There was a meeting due at the town hall
and I went there, brushing aside the concern
of the doctors thoughtfully sent by the
General Manager of the Bokaro Steel Plant
to look after my well-being. At the town hall
the subject I had to speak on was
‘Jharkhand’s Core Competence and

166 / Ignited Minds

Industries’. I kept my speech short, preferring
to let a discussion develop.

Meanwhile, the electronic media had
done its job! As there was a strong media
presence to cover our arrival, news of the
crash travelled quickly throughout the
country. I started receiving calls on my
mobile phone to find out whether I was all
right. I did not want to disturb the meeting
and gave the mobile phone to Dr
Vijayaraghavan, who by then had reached by
road from Ranchi. I asked him to call my
elder brother in Rameswaram, who is eighty-
six years old, and tell him I was fine. The
other call I asked him to make was to my
personal secretary Sheridon to handle the
calls that would come in.

As I was giving my talk Dr Vijayaraghavan
passed a note to me. ‘Your brother is not
convinced that you are OK. If you are OK he
has to hear your voice.’ An elder brother
remains elder all your life! I interrupted my
speech to reassure my brother.

To come back to the discussion at the
town hall meeting, I was asked a very

Building a New State / 167

pertinent question from the audience. ‘Dr
Kalam,’ the questioner said, ‘could you please
tell me why is raw material exported from
many ports specially designed for this
purpose?’ This was specially relevant to
Jharkhand with its huge storehouse of
mineral wealth. In answer, I narrated a
conversation I had in Goa. I was on a boat
crossing the harbour, on my way to the
university for a convocation address, and
accompanying me was Dr Jose Paul,
Chairman of the Mormugao Port Trust. We
started discussing iron ore exports to Japan,
much of which take place from Panjim. He
told me, 30 million tonnes of iron ore are
exported annually from the four ports; of
this 17 million tonnes are exported from
Mormugao alone. The ore is sold at rather a
low price — a few dollars a tonne — as,
according to the buyers, it is of inferior
quality. As such, its sale did not contribute
anything much to the economy. The same
ore, utilized here, would, of course, generate
far more income because of value addition.

‘What is value addition and could you

168 / Ignited Minds

give an example?’ I was asked in Bokaro and
a powerful example came to my mind. When
we were working on the satellite launch
vehicles in the 1970s, a requirement arose
for beryllium diaphragms. These are used in
gyros, sensors used to determine the attitude
of the rockets or missiles when they are in
flight. As these were not available with us, a
procurement team was formed to purchase
them in the international market. The team
was headed by T.N. Seshan, better known
now as the former Chief Election
Commissioner of India, with Madhavan Nair,
Dr S.C. Gupta and I as members. We struck
a deal with a company in New York for a
hundred beryllium diaphragms.

Three months later, we got a message
from the company that since beryllium
diaphragms are used to make gyros mounted
on intercontinental ballistic missiles, they
did not have permission from the State
Department to supply them to India. We
immediately initiated action to redress the
problem in our typical fire-fighting manner.
Technology denied was, to us, technology
gained.

Building a New State / 169

Meanwhile, it emerged that India has
one of the largest deposits of beryllium ore.
The ore was exported in those days to Japan,
who processed the ore into beryllium rods
and sheets and exported them to US
companies to transform them into beryllium
products such as diaphragms! I received the
shock of my life: this was material mined in
India and exported to Japan, who processed
it and exported it to the US, and the US
company refused to give it to India. Where
was our sense of initiative? What had
happened to our aims? The issue figured
prominently in the press and export of
beryllium ore was stopped.

The same story is repeated in other areas.
The upshot is that India is poor as a nation
in spite of its enormous wealth because it
does not focus on value addition, be it in
mineral or biodiversity products or even grain
or fish. In the case of beryllium ore, value
addition by at least ten times takes place in
refinement itself. Value addition by at least
100 times is achieved during product
conversion. And this is what we would be

170 / Ignited Mmds

paying Japan or the US, for something that
originated from India itself. It is the same
with iron ore, and many other exports; only
the scale of value addition varies. It is a
lesson that must be quickly learnt.

At the same meeting, another interesting
question came up. ‘Do you think in politics,
purity is possible?’ It was a little outside my
purview but there was one aspect to it, raised
earlier, which I would like to mention. This
aspect is that an entire generation of people
representing excellence in all fields — politics,
industry, sciences, the arts — emerged in the
/ears leading to independence. Mahatma
Sandhi, CIV. Raman, J.R.D. Tata, Pirojsha B.
Sodrej, Laxmanrao Kirloskar, Ramakrishna
ESajaj, Rabindranath Tagore, Dr S.
Radhakrishnan, Madan Mohan Malaviya . . .
it is a long list. Suddenly there was excellence
in every sphere of society and the
circumstance making such flowering possible
was the vision that the nation had set for
itself.

I believe if the nation forms a second
vision today, leaders of a stature to suit our
ambition will appear once again, in all walks

Building a New State / 171

of life, including politics.

The next day, I travelled to Bokaro Steel
Plant, the largest steel plant in India. The
General Manager of the plant, Mr Tiwaii,
accompanied me. The scale of the plant was
breathtaking. I saw hundreds of men working
in an organized way as the sweat poured off
their bodies, while the molten steel flowed
from the furnace like a river on fire. The
iron ore would be available for years, I was
told. Impressive as the plant was I was
disappointed to see that there were no
industrial estates around it, utilizing the steel
produced here to make various products. I
was told that setting up of industrial estates
came under state purview. It brought back
my old regret at our compartmentalized
thinking. Why this fragmented governance
where one agency is alienated from another?
Unless development is directed towards state-
based industries, working on huge national
missions through centralized planning will
not do much for real prosperity.

On the flight back to Delhi, I wondered
how Jharkhand could best be helped. What

172 / Ignited Minds

was needed were a few major missions to
transform the state and a time-frame. The
state and the Centre would need to make an
integrated effort. Would it be possible?

Let me go back to my experience in the
SLV-3 missile and weapons development
programmes. They illustrate what I mean by
an integrated approach. To succeed in these
efforts, we had to adopt a multi-
organizational mission mode. Building a
rocket is a long process from the drawing
board to development and launch. All
through the process, a number of reliability
factors matter. The first stage is a robust
booster rocket system. Before Rohini was
put into orbit, the booster rocket had gone
through five static trials in the flight hardware
in full scale, and it had also been tried out
during two experimental flights. That means
a proven, developed booster was available
when the time came for launch.

An IRBM was not demanded by anyone
when the missile programme was conceived
in 1982. However, the availability of the
SLV-3 booster led to the building of a

Building a New State / 173

technology demonstrator — Agni — as part of
the approved programme. Agni was launched
successfully in 1989 at a moderate budget of
Rs 36 crore! Nobody in the world could
have anticipated India acquiring IRBM
capability in the short period of six years. It
happened only because the Agni mission
was organized into a multi-institutional
programme.

My assessment based on various space
and defence projects done as mission mode
programmes is that intensive partnership
between various participants — government
departments, industry, research institutions —
brings faster development at lower cost. The
same holds in other projects and schemes.
Central and state projects integrated as
mission mode operations will bring rapid
development at minimum cost.

What is keeping us from taking this
concept further? Does it sound risky to
abandon the time-tested route of checks and
balances and go in for a tightrope walk? Or
is it that going into mission mode would
demand a responsibility: Either one has to

174 / Ignited Minds

show the result or quit?

In October 2001, I got the opportunity
to visit Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha
University in Delhi. The topic I selected for
my address to the students was ‘Responsible
Young Citizens’. I put forth the importance
of India becoming a knowledge society. After
the talk, one student asked me an important
question, ‘Could you tell me why Indians,
particularly educated Indians, excel when
they go to the USA and Europe? They
become rich also.’

I said, ‘Recently, I read a book — The
Horse that Flew by Chidanand Raj ghat ta which
is about Indians who have succeeded in the
IT field, especially in America. One quality I
noticed in all of those who excelled was that
they did not work solo. They worked with
their colleagues, irrespective of religious or
other differences, and they were not afraid
to take risks, starting with the risk of going
to a foreign land.’

I met B. Chandrasekhar, who has been a
big success as an entrepreneur in Silicon
Valley, when he contributed to our alma

Building a New State / 175

mater, Madras Institute of Technology
(whose acronym, MIT, is the same as that of
the famous institute at Massachusetts) to
start an Internet Technology Centre. One
fine morning Chandrasekhar sold his 10-
billion-dollar company to start another
enterprise. When I asked him how he took
such chances to build his enterprise,
Chandrasekhar told me he loved taking risks.
There was one other aspect to the success of
his and other companies. For them survival
depended on performance. And the better
they performed, the richer they became.

I have an experience to tell in this regard.
It was 1955. I was in the second year of my
course in Aeronautical Engineering in
Madras Institute of Technology. Our Director
was Dr N. Srinivasan, an aeronautical
engineer himself. I was working on a project
surpervised by him on designing a low-level
attack aircraft. A seven-member student team
was allotted this task. Three of them —
Vivekanandan, Mahabaleshwar Bhat and I —
were given the task of system integration.
Our team was supposed to provide the design

176 / Ignited Minds

report with all the drawings in three months’
time. Because data on the engine, control
system and some other sub-system drawings
coming from my friends got delayed, I also
got delayed by more than two weeks in
submitting my drawings.

It was a humid evening in the month of
August. I was working on the drawing board.
Dr Srinivasan, on his way to the tennis court,
peeped into my room and looked at my
work. He realized that I was nowhere near
completion. He said, ‘Kalam, if you do not
complete it in three days’ time your
scholarship will be stopped.’

That was a big jolt for me. The
scholarship was my lifeline, as my father
could not afford the high cost of education
at MIT. I had to make the best use of the
time available. Three days was too short a
time to complete it. I would have to work
continuously. And this is what I decided to
do. I slept on a bench in the college for
three nights and went out only for food.

Exactly after three days, Dr Srinivasan
visited my drawing board. He spent nearly

Building a New State / 177

one hour examining what I had done and
said, ‘This is good. You have performed a
few weeks’ work in a few days.’ Coming from
him, it was a great compliment.

I realized then that if something is at
stake, the human mind gets ignited and
working capacity gets enhanced manifold.
Challenges throw up opportunities. Once
one selects a task, one should get immersed
in it. Either you will succeed or fail; that risk
will always be there. This should not deter
you. When you fail, you still have the
experience gained to draw upon in the
future.

Start by risking your own position for a
mission. Either I deliver or I go. Prepare
yourself for the endeavour. With effort and
perseverance you will succeed. There is always
a risk involved when we venture into
something new. After all, the process of
birth itself is a risky affair. But then the
infant starts breathing . . . and life follows,
with all its hopes and aspirations. Breathe in
thoughts of success and you will be a success.

178 / Ignited Minds

SUMMARY

The way to development is through purposeful
activity. The young especially have to be guided
properly, so that their lives find a proper direction
and their creativity is allowed to flower. To
facilitate this, certain educational reforms must
be initiated.

With regard to improving the pace of
development. Centre-state efforts should be
coordinated in a few key areas and efforts across
sectors and organizations integrated and taken up
in a mission mode. The mindset must change,
showing willingness to take pragmatic risks. Success
will follow.

9

TO MY COUNTRYMEN

Where the mind is without fear and the head is
held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into
fragments ....

My Father, let my country awake.

— Rabindranath Tagore

All through, this book I have spoken about
the power of the imagination. It lies at the
heart of the creative process and. is the very
substance of life, allied as it is to the power

180 / Ignited Minds

to attract to us what we most desire. This
power makes all the difference between the
winners and the losers. I would like to see in
twenty years a literate and poverty-free India.
I dream of an India governed by noble
leaders. I dream of a system where the work
of scientists and technologists is focussed on
specific missions driven by goals relevant to
the common man. How is this dream to be
made real?

We need to realize that missions are
always bigger than organizations, just as
organizations are always bigger than the
individuals who run them. Missions need
effort and the mind provides the purpose.
Seen this way, consider, which department
or ministry will take man to Mars and build
a habitat there? Can 200,000 MW of electric
power be generated by isolated efforts in
thermal, hydroelectric, nuclear and non-
conventional sectors without an integrated
effort? Can the second green revolution
happen without agricultural scientists, bio-
technologists and irrigation experts working
together? Without proper diagnostic facilities

To My Countrymen / 181

in clinics and affordable drugs reaching our
masses, our biotechnology laboratories and
medical councils will continue to perpetuate
each others’ survival without serving the
purpose of their existence: to set in place
the most advanced medical facilities and
make these available to the people at
reasonable prices.

I have dwelt upon my own experiences
that made me aware of the energy field
which is created by a vision. It is a power
that arises from deep within you. This power
is the basis for the movement towards
excellence we saw at the time of
independence. I have been touched by this
power on many occasions while facing a
challenge. Pre-independence India
reverberated with it. It helped us humble a
mighty empire.

Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata brought the
steel industry to India even though the British
rulers were not favourably disposed to the
idea. Acharya P.C. Ray nurtured the chemical
and pharmaceutical industries. We saw the
birth of many great institutions like the

182 / Ignited Minds

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, started
by J.N. Tata, the Banaras Hindu University
established by Pandit Madan Mohan
Malaviya, and Aligarh Muslim University set
up by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. Some of the
progressive maharajas too set up universities,
as in Baroda. There are many examples. In
all these cases, the motivation was to see
India come up in the world, to demonstrate
that ‘India can do it’.

Are we in a position to continue that
work, revive that spirit of enterprise? Shall
we ever see cars designed and manufactured
in India dotting the roads in Frankfurt or
Seoul? Or Indian satellite launch vehicles
place communication, weather and remote
sensing satellites of other nations in orbit?
Or see India build power stations for the
USA, Japan and China? The possibility will
remain remote if we stay with the present
trend of low aim.

Today we are witnessing good progress
in the software sector but almost all of the
hardware is imported. Can we rise higher on
the value scale there? Can India design an

To My Countrymen / 183

operating system that will become a
household name in the world of computers?
Our exports consist to a large extent of low-
value raw material such as iron ore and
alumina. Can we not convert these into a
wide range of products that find an
international market? We have hundreds of
defence production industries but why does
India not manufacture and market the Main
Battle Tank, missiles, aircraft, guns and other
defence equipment? We have the most
important core competence in the form of
our multifaceted manpower and basic
infrastructure. What is that we don’t have?

Let us think what prevents us in
undertaking such challenges. We have to
analyse how we can give a new dimension to
our style of functioning, by cutting across
the individual interests of various ministries
and even industries and institutions, to follow
an integrated action plan. The motive force
has to be love for the country. We need a
vision that is shared by the entire nation.

In the drive for development, some states
are faring better than others in the country.

184 / Ignited Minds

Bright young entrepreneurs have energized
the national technology scene. Bangalore,
Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad are
hubs of business activity. But even though
the IT sector is a very visible area of success
and has brought in some capital investment,
in terms of overall development this is not
enough. Even if you take up the IT area as
a mission, manpower is the most important
need. Those living away from the cities must
also have access to a good education to join
the talent pool. And this should happen fast.

My visits to the northeastern states —
Tripura and Assam — and to Jharkhand
showed me our untapped potential. Tripura’s
economy rests on forest products, including
bamboo cultivation. It is rich in mineral
wealth, as also in natural gas. But the
transport facilities are in bad shape. It is
difficult to travel, interact and organize
business. There is isolation. In Jharkhand
too there is mineral wealth besides its
resources in terms of forestry products and
handicrafts, all of which need to be
developed. In Assam, there is no shortage of

To My Countrymen / 185

resources and the state has good educational
infrastructure. All the ingredients required
for a developed economy are there but there
is insurgency and unrest among people. A
focussed mission will integrate people.

States such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Punjab and Karnataka have made
me realize that much can be achieved once
efforts are made to channel development
funds for improvement in areas such as
education and health. These and other states
can become good examples of economic
development.

Our intellectual forums, political
platforms, academic institutions and
chambers of commerce are full of discussion
and debate. There is noise, a lot of it in fact.
There are endless debates, arguments,
hypotheses, and theories, and yet there is
little progress. However, the theme of a
developed India is not discussed in board
rooms and technology conferences. I want
all of us — institutions, political parties,
industries, communities, families,
individuals — at every level to take full

186 / Ignited Minds

responsibility for what is good or bad in Our
situation, for what we possess and that which
we do not. This would mean that we stop
blaming others for the circumstances we
find ourselves in. Taking responsibility also
means a willingness to exercise our abilities
to the fullest. This will make us worthy of
enjoying the benefits that come with effort.

What I have tried to tell you in this book
is that we must be aware of our higher self
and view ourselves as citizens of a developed
nation. We are a great civilization and each
one of us born here must trust in the wisdom
of this civilization. Our scriptures tell us that
there is no barrier between us and the world,
that we are the world just as the world is in
us. It is for you to put yourself in tune with
the music of the universe.

There are a few points I would like to
mention.

The needs of a nation’s people are bigger
and much more important than any other
considerations. The mission of Parliament is
that it has to be alive and dynamic over
issues vital to the existence of our very

To My Countrymen / 187

nationhood. Our freedom did not come as a
gift. The whole country struggled for decades
to achieve the first vision of independence,
so we have to protect it. There were excellent
leaders in all walks of life — science, education
and industry. To preserve this freedom from
intruders and others who would compromise
it is our bounden duty and not a matter of
choice and convenience. No ideology is
above the security and prosperity of our
country. No agenda is more important than
harmony among the people.

Students should get ready to transform
India into a developed nation. Ignite your
minds and think big.

A teacher once said, ‘Give me a five-year-
old child. After seven years, no God or Devil
will be able to change the child.’ Will all
teachers be such gurus?

The administrators have a great
opportunity to link the people and political
leaders. They should always take decisions
that are good for the people. I believe it is
only executives like empowered district
collectors who can assist transformation. The

188 / Ignited Minds

state— Central integrated fund has to be
deployed in mission mode programmes.

Fifty years after independence, the results
of scientific effort have not reached the
people to the extent required. It is time the
advances in science and technology are
deployed in a big way to transform rural life.

Global competition is on, be it WTO,
competition from multinationals or China.
For industrialists, competing with high-
performance and cost-effective products will
result in growth for the industry.
Competitiveness and innovation are the two
pillars of industrial growth. Industries by
working together can generate multinational
institutions, reversing the present trend.

The IT community, by its innovativeness
has given India stature in the world. India is
a competitive nation in IT today. IT must be
used for healthcare, telemedicine, to remove
illiteracy, generate skills and for
e-govemance and tele-education. Transform
the nation into a knowledge society with IT
as the linking tool.

Finally, the farmers have given this

To My Countrymen / 189

country surplus food with their sweat. Time
has come for two events to take place in
agriculture sector. One, the value addition
of all agriculture products. The second is to
improve the quality of agriculture products
and compete in the world market. Above all
marketing itself is a great business tool; we
have to create a new cadre for this purpose.
These steps will bring relief to the farmers.

And to God the Almighty! Make my
people sweat. Let their toil create many
more Agnis that can annihilate evil. Let my
country prosper in peace. Let my people live
in harmony. Let me go to dust as a proud
citizen of India, to rise again and rejoice in
its glory.

EPILOGUE

A was thinking what can summarize the
book aptly. I recall reading a story on the
Internet about a conversation between two
babies — Ego and Spirit — while in the womb.

Spirit says to Ego, ‘I know you are going
to find this hard to accept, but I believe
there is life after birth.’

Ego responds, ‘Don’t be foolish. Look
around you. This is all there is. Why must
you always be thinking about something
beyond this reality? Accept your lot in life.’

Spirit quietens down for a while, but not
for long. ‘Ego, now don’t get angry, but I
also believe that there is a Mother.’

‘A Mother!’ Ego laughs. ‘How can you

Epilogue / 191

say that? You’ve never seen a Mother, you
don’t know what Mother is. Why can’t you
accept that this is all there is? You are here
alone with me. This is your reality.’

‘Ego,’ Spirit begs, ‘please listen. What
about those constant pressures we both feel,
those movements that make us so
uncomfortable sometimes, the feeling that
we are being squeezed in as we grow? I think
we shall soon have a new life, that we shall
see light.’

Ego replies, ‘You have never seen light.
How do you know what it is? These pressures
and darkness is what life is about.’

Spirit tries not to bother Ego again but
cannot resist one last try. ‘Ego,’ she says, ‘I
will not bother you again. But I do believe
that after all this discomfort not only shall
we see light but also experience the bliss of
meeting Mother.’

Ego’s reply is, of course, that Spirit is
truly mad.

What I want to tell the people of my
country through this book is that they must
never be content with that which has been

192 / Ignited Minds

presented to them in the last fifty years since
our independence. When I was on the verge
of completing this book, somebody raised a
very important point with me. While
addressing 1,500 students at Presidency
College, Chennai, on the theme ‘Nation
Has to Have Vision’, a series of questions
came from the students on national
development, political leadership, science
and technology’s contribution, education and
the learning process and so on. After the
session, coming out of the auditorium, a
visibly happy gathering of students was trying
to reach me to shake hands. While I was
manoeuvring to leave, suddenly one young
student pushed through the crowd and thrust
a crumpled paper in my hand. I put it in my
pocket and read it in the car. My mind got
elevated with the power of the message from
T. Saravanan doing M.Phil Zoology at
Presidency College. I would like to share it
with all of you.

The letter read:

‘Dear Sir

‘The full power of a banyan tree is equal

Epilogue / 193

to the power in the seeds of the tree. In a
way both of us, you and me, are the same.
But we exhibit our talents in different forms.
A few of the seeds directly flourish as banyan
trees and many seeds die. Sometimes, the
seeds, due to certain circumstances and
environmental conditions, get damaged and
become part of the soil as manure, making
the next generation stronger and more
powerful, thus exhibiting its aim of achieving
greater heights.

‘You have worked for the country and
helped many scientists, engineers and
knowledge workers. Can you tell me how
you ensured that their abilities were not
wasted or their growth was not stunted
prematurely as some of the seed? In this
service, what is the percentage of success
you can claim?’

My reply the same day said:

‘Dear Saravanan,

‘I have read and re-read your powerful
message and question many times. I spent
twenty years in ISRO and twenty years in
DRDO making rockets, launch vehicles and

194 / Ignited Minds

missiles. I have seen many successes and also
a few failures. I have worked with many
scientists, engineers and technicians as united
teams to achieve goals in a short time. The
combined power of the team has seen those
successes and learnt from the failures. I
could see some of my team members
excelling me in knowledge and deed. This
gave me immense happiness.’

Saravanan’s message gives all of us a
tremendous responsibility. Leaders must
ensure that the younger generation is better
than them and not subject them to
circumstances that will stunt their growth.
Above all, protection of the young from
failures in scientific developments and
constant encouragement are essential to
ensure that scientists, technologists or those
working in any field grow and work for the
nation.

I would like to conclude this book with
an answer to one last question, asked of me
on Id. The question was: What prayer did
you say on this occasion?

I said, apart from praying for the health

Epilogue / 195

and. happiness of my teachers, friends and
relatives, I said this prayer:

‘O Almighty, create thoughts and actions in
the minds of the people of my nation so that
they live united.

Help all religious leaders of my country give
strength to the people to combat the forces
of division.

Embed the thought ‘Nation is bigger than
the Individual’ in the minds of the leaders
and people.

O God bless my people to work and
transform the country into a prosperous
nation soon.

Sortg of "V oixtla

Mg cxrtd My Notion — India,

As a young citizen of India,

armed with technology, knowledge and love for my nation,
I realize, small aim is a crime,

I will work and sweat for a great vision,

the vision of transforming India into a developed nation

powered by economic strength with value system.

I am one of the citizens of a billion,
only the vision will ignite the billion souls.

It has entered into me,

the ignited soul compared to any resource,
is the most powerful resource

on the earth, above the earth and under the earth.

I will keep the lamp of knowledge burning
to achieve the vision — Developed India.

So far I have conveyed this message to nearly
40,000 school children in Chennai, Porbandar,
Rajkot, Jamshedpur, Bhubaneshwar, Dindigul,
Abu Road, Anand, Udaipur and many other
places. I hope to reach 100,000 young minds
before August 2003. When thousands recite
this, I see the developed India.

REFERENCES

1. Wings of Fire: An Autobiography of A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam with Arun Tiwari.
South Asia Books, 1999.

2. India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium,
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Y.S. Raj an. Viking,
1998.

3. Man the Unknown, Alexis Carrel.

4. Thirukkural, Thiruvalluvar.

5. Light from Many Lamps, Lillian Eichler Watson.
Fireside, 1988.

6. Chandra: A Biography of S. Chandrasekhar,
Kameshwar C. Wali. University of Chicago
Press, 1992.

7. The Horse That Flew, Chidanand Rajghatta.
HarperCollins India, 2001.

198 / Ignited Minds

8. Empires of the Mind, Denis Waitley. Nicholas
Brealey Publishing, 1995.

9. An Unfinished Dream, Dr Verghese Rurien.
Tata McGraw Hill, 1997.

10. Manifest Your Destiny, Dr Wayne W. Dyer.
HarperCollins, 1997.

11. Consilience, Edward O. Wilson. Vintage Books,
1999.

12. India as Knowledge Superpower, Task Force
Report to Planning Commission, 2001.

13. Technology Vision 2020, TIFAC Task Force
Reports, 1996.

14. ‘A New Knowledge Society’, Dr A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam, 2000.

15. Report on ^urbanization’, Prof. P.V.
Indiresan, 2000.

INDEX

Agni, 32, 62, 172-73
Akash, 62

An Unfinished Dream, 66
An dal, 149
Antony, A.K., 115
Aravind Eye Hospital, 146 — 47

Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment (APPLE),
56-57

Aryabhata, 42

Aryabhata satellite, 42

Aryabhatiyam, 42

Ashtavakra, 6

Asoka, 2—4

Assam, 18, 184^85

Atomic Energy Commission, 50

Awaiyar, 91

Bajaj, Ramaknshna, 170
Balakrishnan, N., 152
Basu, Prof. 160
beryllium diaphragms, 168—70
Bhabha, Homi J., 49, 50
Bhaskara I, II satellites, 43
Bhaskaracharya, 43
Bokaro Steel Plant, 171
Bose, J.C., 47

Brahma Kumari Spiritual Academy, 89
Brahmagupta, 42—43

200 / Index

Brahman Ashuta Siddhanta, 43
BrahMos, 64—66, 102

Caliph Omar, 2, 4-5
CARE hospital, 145-46
Carrel, Alexis, 33

Centres of Relevance and Excellence (CORE), 143
Chandra, 46

Chandrasekhar, B., 174—75
Chandrasekhar, S., 45, 46
Christ College, Rajkot, 84
CNES, 55

core competence, areas of, 74—75, 123, 138—41
cruise missile, 63, 65—66, 102
Curien, Hubert, 55

Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences,
90

Defence Research and Development Organization
(DRDO), 16

Development m Fluid Mechanics and. Space Technology,
60

Dhawan, Satish, 14, 57—58, 59, 60—62
dream of peace, 2—4
dreams, power of, 28
Dyer, Dr Wayne W , 11, 72

education, role of, 25, 76—77, 165
Einstein, Albert, 2, 5, 43—44

Floor Reaction Orthosis (FRO) callipers, 16
four stages of nationhood, 11—12

Gandhi, Mahatma, 2, 4, 5, 8, 23, 47, 97-98, 155-56
Godrej, Pirojsha B., 170
Gupta, S.C., 168

Index / 201

Hardy, G.H., 44, 45
Holy Quran, 34

India’s missile capability, 15
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 50
Indica, 132—33, 134
Indiresan, P.V., 144

Integrated Guided Missile Development Progr amm e
(IGMDP) , 62

Interim Test Range, 102—03
Iyengar, T. Totadri, 41-42
Iyer, Sivasubramania, 25

Jharkhand, 18, 31, 153—68, 184

Kalam, A.P J. Abdul, ancestors of, 96-97; as Chairman
TIFAC, 16—17; as Principal Scientific Adviser, 17;
at ISRO, 58-59; career of, 13, 21-22; conversation
with Pramukh Swami Maharaj, 73—80; Dhawan’s
lesson, 57, 58; escape in helicopter crash, 1, 161—
63; facing failure, 15; father’s influence, 25;
interactions with children, 24—35; on education,
165; on national competitiveness, 156-57; on unity,
114—16; philosophy of life, 22—23; project director
SLV-3, 55, 57, 172; stages in life of, 13-19;
transparency in public life, 155—56; work with
Sarabhai, 53—54;

Karmakar, Narender, 46
Kasturirangan, K-, 61
Khan, Sir Syed Ahmad, 182
Khosla, Lt. Gen. Ramesh, 104
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, 80—82
Kirloskar, L., 170
knowledge society, 119—25
Kothari, D.S., 49

202 / Index

KR coronary stent, 16
Kulkami, Sumatra, 155—56
Kurien, Dr Verghese, 66—67

Light Combat Aircraft (LGA), 132
Light from Many Lamps, 34
Lincoln, Abraham, 2, 5—6

Mahalingam, Dr N., 127
Mahapatra, Justice Hanhar, 33
Malaviya, Madam Mohan, 170, 182
Man the Unknown, 33—34
Mangeshkar, Lata, 37—38
Mamfest Your Destiny, 1 1
Marandi, Babu Lai, 160
Mata Amritanandamayi, 18, 82—84
Menon, K. Padmanaba, 59
Midha, Dr Pratap, 89-90

mind— body synchrony, for health, 68, 89—90
Mishra, Justice Rangnath, 33

Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), 14,
15, 63

Mukheijee, Ashutosh, 46

Nag missile, 62

Nair, Madhavan, 168

Narasimhan, M.S., 46

Naiayana Murthy, N.R., 152

Narlikar, J.V., 45

Natchiar, Dr G., 146—47

Nehru, Jawaharlal, 47, 110

NPO Mashinostroyenia, 63—65

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), 14

Pakistan, 109
Palkhivala, N.A., 126

Index / 203

Patnaik, Biju, 106-08
Paul, Jose, 167

Pereira, Rev. Dr Peter Bernard, 54, 92
Physical Research Laboratory, 51
Pillai, A. Sivathanu, 59, 65
Pokhran II, 109

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), 57, 58-60
Pramukh Swami Maharaj, 73—80
Premji, Azim, 135—36
Prithvi missile, 62, 103

Provide Urban Facilities in Rural Areas (PURA), 85,
129, 144

Radhakrishnan, Dr S., 170
Raghunathan, M.S., 46
Rahman, A.R., 115
Rajan, Y.S., 94-95, 142
Rajghatta, Chidanand, 174
Raman, Sir C.V., 46, 47—48
Ramanujan, Srinivasa, 44-45
Ramdas, Admiral L., 112
Rao, Kakarla Subba, 67—68
Rao, U.R., 61
Ray, Acharya PC., 181

Relevance and Excellence in Achieving New Heights
m Education Institutions (REACH), 142
Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, 15, 64
Rohini, 172

role models, 24—26, 36—38
rural connectivity, 123—31

Saha, Meghnad, 47, 50
Salwan, 140—05

Sankaracharyas of Kanchi, 84—85

Sarabhai, Dr Vikram, 14, 36-37, 43, 51, 52—57

204 / Index

Saraswat, 104—05
Sarvanan, T., 192—94

Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3) project, 13-14, 55,
172

Second Vision of the Nation, 17, 74, 116—17, 170—
71

Selvamurthy, Dr W., 89—91
Sen, Dr Amartya, 109—10
Sen, Ashok, 46
Seshadri, C.S., 45
Seshan, T.N., 168
Singh, Maj. Gen. K.N., 106
Singh, Samaresh, 160
Sinha, S.K., 141
Solomon, Rev. Iyyadurai, 97
Song of Humanity, 92

Space Science and Technology Centre (SSTC), 51

Sri Aurobindo, 23, 92

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, 87—88

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, 87

Srinivasan, ‘Calculus', 41

Srinivasan, Dr N., 175—77

Subramaniam, C., 126

Sundarajan, N., 59

Swami Jayendra Saraswathigal, 85

Swami Nikhileswarananda, 84

Swami Vyayendra Saraswathigal, 85

Tata, Jamshedji Nusserwanji, 181
Tata, Ratan, 132, 133
teacher— student relationship, 26

Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment
Council (TIFAC) , 16, 141
Technology Vision 2020, 16-17

Index / 205

' The Horse that Flew , 174
ThtrukkuraL> 34, 78

Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station
(TERLS), 51, 52
F iruppavat , 1 49
Tiruvalluvar, 34, 78
Tripura, 18, 184
Trishul missile, 62

Vajpayee, Atal Behari, 13, 31
value addition, 166—170
Varadhan, S.R.S., 46
Venkataraman, R., 85
Venkataswamy, Dr G., 147—48
Vidura, 10

Vijayaraghavan, Dr M.S., 143—44, 166
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), 54

Wali, Kameshwar C., 46
Watson, Lillian Eichler, 34
Wings of Fire , 28
Wipro, 134—36

Yefremov, Dr H.A., 64, 66
Yogasutra, 136—37